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t ;/  India 


//./<i>.o<^. 


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PRINCETON,  N.  J. 


Purchased   by  the  Hamill   Missionary   Fund 


BV  3280  .B7  H64  1905 
Holcomb,  James  Foote,  1837 
In  the  heart  of  India 


^  J' •%  '4%'  ^ '^  v'''  '^ ;  -{'i' 


IN   THE 


HEART  OF  INDIA 


Beginnings  of  Missionary  Work 
in  Bundela  Land 


WITH  A  SHORT  CHAPTER  ON  THE  CHARACTERISTICS  OF  BUNDELK- 

HAND  AND  ITS  PEOPLE,  AND  FOUR  CHAPTERS  OF 

JHANSI   HISTORY 


y 

JAMES  F.  HOLCOMB,  D.  D, 

AND 

HELEN  H.  HOLCOMB 


PHILADELPHIA 

THE   WESTMINSTER   PRESS 

1905 


Copyright,  1905, 

BY 

James  F.  Holcomb 


TO  THE 

©tficers  anD  /nbembers  of  tbe  jBxccntivc 
Committee 

OF  THE 

Moman's  fovcign  /IDisaionar^  Soctet^^  of 
tbe  presbptertan  Cburcb 

Who,  by  their  encouragement  and  generous  gifts, 

laid  the  foundation  of  this  mission  station 

in  the  Heart  of  India 

Zbie  Dolume  is  (3ratefull^  anC>  Bttectionateli? 
BeDicateD 


EXPLANATORY  FOREWORD 


A  word  of  explanation  seems  to  be  demanded  in 
regard  to  the  make-up  of  this  little  book. 

The  reason  for  writing  this  unpretentious  volume 
was  found  in  the  circumstance  that  when  we  were  in 
the  homeland,  twelve  years  ago,  and  gave  on  a  number 
of  occasions  an  account  of  our  beginning  at  Jhansi, 
those  who  listened  to  the  narrative  were  unmistakably 
interested  in  it ;  but  chiefly  it  was  fovmd  in  the  opinion 
expressed  by  valued  friends  of  our  common  cause,  who 
listened  to  the  story,  that  it  would  be  well  worth  w^hile 
to  put  it  into  print  for  the  sake  of  those  interested  in 
our  work  who  would  not  have  an  opportunity  of  hear- 
ing it,  and  not  only  for  the  sake  of  those  already 
interested  in  our  particular  field,  but  of  others  w^hose 
interest  might  be  enlisted  by  the  perusal  of  it. 

It  was  not  till  the  larger  portion  of  the  book,  begin- 
ning with  Chapter  IX,  had  been  written,  that  it 
occurred  to  us  that  as  this  was  a  book  giving  an 
account  of  beginnings  of  missionary  w^ork  in  the  heart 
of  India,  it  w^ould  be  well  to  make  mention  of  w^hat 
others  before  us  had  done  in  the  way  of  pioneering 
in  this  same  field ;  and  also  to  give  a  brief  description 
of  the  characteristics  of  Bundela  Land  and  its  people. 

And  finally,  as  the  founding  of  the  city  of  Jhansi  as 
the  capital  of  a  new  principality,  and  its  subsequent 
history,  culminating  in  the  events  of  1857  and  1858, 
were  of  unusual  interest,  it  was  decided  to  devote  four 
additional  chapters  to  these  topics  ;  not  the  least  motive 
for  w^riting  these  chapters  being  that  of  showing  the 
kind  of  stuff  of  which  some  of  the  women  of  India  are 
made. 


CONTENTS 


I. 

Work  Begun  in  tjie  Eastern  Portion. 

II. 
Work  Begun  in  Gwalior,  in  the  West. 

III. 
Work  Begun  in  Jiiansi,  in  Central  Bundelkhand. 

lY. 

Characteristics  of  Bundelkhand  and  its  People. 

V. 

The   Founding    of   Jhansi,   and   the   Political   History   of 
THE  Principality. 

YI. 

The   Mutiny    in    Jhansi,    and   the   Eevenge   of   the   Rani 

Lakshmi  Bai. 

YII. 

The  Re-taking  of  Jhansi  by  Major-General  Sir  Hugh  Rose, 

and  the  Flight  of  the  Rani. 

YIII. 

The  Rani  of  Jhansi  takes  the  Field  against  the  British, 

AND  Perishes  at  Gwalior. 

IX. 

The  Committee's  Yisit  to  Jhansi  in  January,  1886. 

X. 

Our  Appointment  and  Removal  to  Jhansi. 

XI. 

Beginning  at  the  Five  Wells. 

XII. 
First  Tour  Among  the  Yillages. 

XIII. 

First   Helpers   Sent   to    Us,  and   Further  Touring    in   the 

District. 

vii 


CONTEXTS 

XIV. 
The  Boy  Nabibakhsh. 

XV. 

First  Financial  Hp:lp  for  the  Work. 

XVI. 

Interest  Felt  in  this  Field. 

XVII. 

A    Zenana   Teacher    Secured,  and    a    School  for    Girls 

Established. 

XVIII. 
Mrs.  Seymour's  Work  in  the  Zenanas. 

XIX. 

Experiences  when  Alone  in  Jhansi,  and  a  Pilgrimage  to 
Peshawar. 

XX. 

A  Site  Secured  for  a  Church  in  the  City. 

XXI. 

Secular  Affairs. 

XXII. 
Plans  for  a  Church  and  Reading  Room. 

XXIII. 

First  Annual  Meeting  of  the   Mission  in  Jhansi,  and  the 

Laying  of  the  Corner-stone  of  the  Church. 

XXIV. 

Progress  in  Various  Directions. 

XXV. 

An  En(ilish  Library  Obtained  for  Our  Reading   Roojr. 

XXVI. 

The    Completion    of   the   Church,  and    its   Dedication, 
February  27,  1902. 

XXVII. 

The  Selling  of  Christian  Literature. 

XXVIII. 

Our  House  at  Ranipur. 
viii 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 


A  QviET  Dell  in  Jiiansi, Frontispiece. 

FACING  PACK 

The  Fort  op  Jiiansi, 20 

One  of  the  Entrances  to  Jhansi, 30 

The  Star  Fort,     -i^ 

Principal  Entrance  to  Jhansi, 46 

The  Breached  Mamelon,      fiO 

A  Bit  of  the  Eastern  AVall, 68 

The  Rani's  Palace, 70 

Ketribution  Hill,    ....       "2 

The  Memorial, 76 

Entrance  to  Gwalior  Fortress, 1*4 

The  City  of  Jhansi, 102 

One  of  the  Entrances  to  Jhansi, 104 

The  Five  Wells, .116 

Women  Carrying  Water  Jars, 118 

Palaces  at  Orcha, 124 

Great  Temple  at  Orciia,      126 

The  Embankment  at  Barwa  Sagar, 128 

Sugarcane  Press  at  Barwa  Sagar, 130 

With  Some  Aborigines, 134 

Barwa  Sagar  Castle  and  Lake, 138 

House  of  the  Rev.  Nabibakhsh, 142 

Our  House  in  Jhansi, 160 

The  Girls'  School,      •   •    ■ 1~4 

Jhansi  Railavay  Station, 212* 

Ferryboat  on  the  Betwa, 214 

Church  in  Course  of  Erection, 222 

Church  and  Reading  Room  Completed, 240 

Bullock  Cart  for  District  Work, 248 

Our  House  at  Raxipur 250 

ix 


I. 

WORK  BEGUN  IN  THE  EASTERN  PORTION. 
1841-42. 

*  Bundela  Land  is  known  in  India  as  Bundelkhand, 
which  means  the  portion  of  the  Bundelas.  The  districts 
of  Allahabad,  Fatehpur,  Cawnpore,  Furrukhabad,  Etah, 
Mainpuri  and  Etawah  comprise  that  portion  of  the 
Furrukhabad  Mission  field  which  lies  in  the  Doab,  mean- 
ing the  land  of  the  two  waters,  the  two  waters  being  the 
two  great  rivers,  the  Ganges  on  the  north,  and  the  Jumna 
on  the  south.  Bundelkhand  has  for  its  northern  bound- 
ary the  Jumna  river,  and  from  south-east  to  north- 
west is  conterminous  with  that  part  of  the  Furrukhabad 
Mission  field  which  lies  in  the  Jumna- Ganges  Doab.  No 
other  mission  stands  in  such  close  proximity  to  Bundel- 
khand as  the  Furrukhabad  Mission.  The  city  of  Allaha- 
bad is  at  the  south-eastern  end  of  the  Doab,  being  at  the 
junction  of  the  Ganges  and  Jumna  rivers.  The  city  of 
Etawah  is  on  the  river  Jumna  at  the  distance  of  206 
miles  north-west  of  Allahabad.  The  city  of  Fatehpur  is 
situated  between  the  two  rivers,  being  70  miles  north- 
west of  Allahabad. 

What  could  be  more  natural  than  that^the  American 
Presbyterian  missionaries  at  the  stations  of  Allahabad, 
Fatehpur  and  Etawah    should    look    out   towards    the 

*  Pronounced  Boondeyla. 


2  IN    THE    HEART    OF   INDIA. 

unevangelized  millions  of  Bundelkhand  with   a  special 
and  prayerful  interest  ? 

The  city  of  Jhansi,  which  is  in  the  geographical  centre 
of  India,  is  also  centrally  situated  in  Bundelkhand.  The 
other  chief  cities  of  this  territory  are  Gwalior*  in  the  west, 
and  Banda  in  the  east.  Banda  is  only  40  miles  from 
Fatehpur,  and  only  30  miles  from  the  Jumna  river,  w^hich 
forms  the  southern  boundary  of  the  Fatehpur  district. 

Allahabad  was  the  second  place  in  India  which  the 
Presbyterian  Church  of  the  U.  S.  A.  w^as  led  to  choose  as 
a  mission  station ;  Ludhiana  in  the  Punjab,  or  land  of 
the  five  waters,  having  been  the  first  station  in  India  to 
be  established  by  the  pioneer  representatives  of  that 
Church.  The  first  missionaries  at  Ludhiana  longed  to 
cross  the  Sutledge  and  carry  the  Gospel  to  the  Sikhs  ; 
and  equally  eager  were  the  first  missionaries  at  Allaha- 
bad to  spread  the  knowledge  of  Christ  among  the  people 
on  the  other  side  of  the  Jumna.  Accordingly  we  find 
them  forming  and  putting  into  execution  such  plans  as 
were  then  feasible  for  giving  the  Gospel  to  the  inhab- 
itants of  Bundelkhand. 

The  earhest  of  the  American  Presbyterian  missionaries 
stationed  at  Allahabad  were  the  Eev.  James  McEwen 
(1836),  the  Rev.  James  Wilson  and  the  Rev.  J.  H. 
Morrison  (1838),  the  Rev.  Joseph  Warren  (1839),  and  the 
Rev.  Joseph  Owen  (1841).  As  early  as  the  cold  season 
1841-42  the  Rev.  James  Wilson,  accompanied  by  the  Rev. 
Joseph  Owen,  made  a  two  months'  preaching  tour  in  the 
Doab  and  Bundelkhand.  The  chief  part  of  these  two 
months  was  spent  in  Bundelkhand,  and  of  this  portion 

*  Gwalior,  th(^gh  not  now  considered  a  part  of  Bundelkhand, 
was  once  included  in  Bundela  Land,  the  territory  of  the  Bundela 
Chief,  Chhatarsal,  having  extended  as  far  toward  the  north-west  at 
the  Chumbal  river. 


IN    THE    HEART   OF   INDIA.  6 

of  their  tour  Mr.  Wilson  gave  the  following  account: — 
♦*  We  visited  Kalpi,  Hamirpur,  Banda,  and  other  large 
places,  besides  a  great  multitude  of  smaller  villages  on 
the  way.  At  each  of  the  larger  places  we  stopped 
several  days,  in  the  smaller  places  generally  only  one 
day.  At  Kalpi  and  at  Banda  we  had  interesting  dis- 
cussions with  a  Pandit  or  learned  Hindu,  and  a  Maulavi  or 
learned  Musalman.  These  were  such  as  to  give  us 
pleasing  evidences  that  Christianity  is  making  steady  and 
distinct  advances  in  this  country.  We  distributed  all 
the  books  and  tracts  which  we  took  with  us,  and  two 
porters'  loads  besides,  which  the  Rev.  Mr.  P.  sent  from 
Cawnpore  at  our  request  to  meet  us  at  Hamirpur." 

W^hether  the  Allahabad  missionaries  continued  to  preach 
the  Gospel  in  Bundelkhand  during  the  next  eleven  years, 
or  if  they  did  not,  why  they  were  hindered  from  doing 
so,  the  writer  cannot  tell,  as  complete  reports  of  that 
period  are  not  in  his  possession. 

On  a  tour  in  Bundelkhand  made  by  Mr.  Owen, 
accompanied  by  native  preachers  in  December,  1852, 
the  cities  of  Banda,  Hamirpur  and  Kalpi  were  visited. 
In  September,  1853,  mention  is  made  of  a  request  having 
been  received  from  an  English  gentleman  at  Banda  for 
the  establishment  of  a  school  at  that  city  under  a  native 
Christian  teacher.  A  liberal  offer  of  aid  for  its  support 
had  been  made,  and  the  missionaries  at  Allahabad  were 
considering  who,  out  of  their  httle  company  of  native 
laborers,  was  best  qualified  and  could  best  be  spared  for 
this  new  station.  In  the  following  November,  a  school 
was  established  at  Banda,  with  Paul  Qaim  Khan  as 
head-master,  and  Melancthon  as  his  assistant.  In  April 
1854,  Mr.  Owen  paid  a  visit  to  Banda  with  the  view  of 
making  permanent  arrangements  for  a  school-house  and 
dwellings  for   the  Christian  teachers,  and   of  otherwise 


4  IN   THE   HEART   OF   INDIA. 

strengthening  the  hands  of  the  native  brethren  connected 
with  this  branch  mission.  Ten  busy  days  were  spent  at 
Banda  by  the  missionary  who  liad  been  deputed  by  his 
.brethren  at  Allahabad  to  make  this  visit  and  to  act  on 
their  joint  behalf  as  the  circumstances  in  this  field 
might  require.  He  then  paid  a  brief  visit  to  Hamirpur, 
the  head-quarters  of  the  adjoining  district  of  the 
same  name,  for  the  purpose  of  preaching  and  of  ex- 
amining a  school  which  the  founders  desired  to  make 
over  to  the  mission.  It  was  Mr.  Owen's  plan  to 
establish  as  many  schools  as  possible  at  the  centres  of 
population  within  reach  of  Allahabad,  in  order  not  only 
that  Christian  instruction  might  systematically  be  given  to 
hundreds  or  thousands  of  pupils  who  would  otherwise 
grow  up  without  a  knowledge  of  Christ,  but  also  that 
these  schools  might  furnish  students  for  the  mission 
college  at  Allahabad,  of  which  he  was  the  principal.  At 
Hamirpur  Mr.  Owen  was  joined  by  two  preachers  from 
Fatehpur,  and  during  the  eight  days  spent  there  many 
heard  the  Word  from  their  lips.  Mr.  Owen  returned  to 
Banda  from  Hamirpur  and  spent  two  more  days  there. 
He  felt  thankful  to  be  able  to  record  that  there  was  then  in 
hand  for  the  purpose  of  providing  the  buildings  needed 
in  Banda  the  sum  of  1,137  rupees.  In  October  of  the 
same  year  Mr.  Owen  was  found  again  at  Banda.  The 
pupils  in  the  school  then  numbered  144,  and  the  whole 
expense  of  the  branch  mission  was  defrayed  by  English 
friends  who  were  interested  in  the  work.  Subsequently 
a  neat  school-house  was  built  by  a  friend  of  the  mission 
■ — F.  0.  Mayne,  Esq.,  of  the  Civil  Service  —with  the  funds 
collected  for  the  purpose  by  Mr.  Owen. 

But  this  work  so  auspiciously  begun  was  rudely  ter- 
minated by  the  Sepoy  Mutiny  of  1857,  and  was  never  re- 
inaugurated.     Still   the  missionaries   at  Allahabad  and 


IN    THE   HEART   OF    INDIA.  5 

Fatehpur  never  lost  sight  of  the  great  unoccupied  field 
across  the  Jumna.  From  the  mission  report  of  1862-63 
we  transcribe  the  following  paragraphs  . — "  Westward  of 
Fatehpur  lies  an  immense  district,  easy  of  access,  yet  al- 
most totally  destitute  of  evangelizing  agencies.  Crowded 
with  large  villages  and  containing  very  many  people  who 
are  willing  to  hear  the  truth  without  prejudice,  it  seems 
a  promising  field  for  missionary  operations.  In  pursu- 
ance of  an  arrangement  by  which  a  considerable  part  of 
the  expense  was  borne  by  the  North  India  Bible  Society, 
a  catechist  and  four  Scripture-readers  spent  about  a 
month  of  the  last  year  in  travelling  through  Banda  and 
other  parts  of  Bundelkhand,  preaching  daily  in  the  cities 
and  villages,  and  circulating  the  Word  of  God  as  widely 
as  possible.  The  same  plan  is  to  be  followed  during  the 
coming  year,  and  thus  will  the  Word  of  God  be  preached 
as  a  witness  in  many  places  where  it  would  not  else  be 
heard  for  many  years  to  come." 

"  Mr.  Johnson-"  has,  as  far  as  practicable,  been  send- 
ing his  native  assistants  to  labor  in  the  city  and 
district  of  Banda,  and  we  trust  the  day  is  not  far  distant 
when  a  permanent  agency  will  again  be  stationed  there." 

From  the  report  for  the  next  year  we  take  the  follow- 
ing:—" During  the  month  of  December,  1863,  a  preach- 
ing tour  was  made  by  Mr.  Owen  of  Allahabad  in  com- 
pany with  Mr.  Johnson  of  Fatehpur,  in  the  province  of 
Bundelkhand  as  far  as  Banda  and  Kalinjar.  Two  of 
the  native  helpers  belonging  to  Fatehpur  itinerated  in 
Bundelkhand  for  nearly  five  months  this  year,  receiving 
an  allowance  from  the  North  India  Bible  Society  to  act 
as  colporteurs  in  distributing  the  Word  of  God  to  the 
schools.  They  seem  to  have  done  very  little  of  this, 
however,  and  to  have  given  their  attention  almost  entire- 

-  The  Kev.  "W.  F.  Johnson,  d.d.,  now  of  Etawah. 


b  IN    THE    HEART    OF    INDIA. 

ly  to  preaching,  while  at  the  same  time  they  distributed 
tracts  and  Gospels  among  the  people.  In  that  region 
the  people  seem  much  more  ready  to  hear  the  Gospel 
than  in  this,  and  the  audiences  were  much  larger,  espe- 
cially in  the  city  of  Banda,  which  has  a  larger  popula- 
tion than  Fatehpur.  I  hope,"  adds  the  Kev.  Edward  H. 
Sayre,  who  was  then  stationed  at  Fatehpur,  "  that  when 
the  finances  of  the  Board  are  in  a  better  condition,  the 
mission  will  allow  it  to  be  taken  up  and  occupied  as  an 
out-station,  by  a  catechist  and  a  Scripture-reader.  The 
prospect  of  usefulness  there  is  much  greater  than  here, 
and  only  a  small  outlay  would  be  required." 


II. 

WORK  BEGUN  IN  GWALIOR,  IN  THE  WEST. 
1874. 

We  have  seen  how  our  missionaries  at  Allahabad 
and  Fatehpur  were  from  the  beginning  interested  in  that 
portion  of  Bundelkhand  which  was  adjacent  to  them, 
and  what  they  sought  to  do  at  Banda  and  elsewhere  in 
that  region. 

The  next  portion  of  the  Trans- Jumna  region  which 
claims  our  attention,  on  account  of  our  missionary  under- 
taking in  it,  is  Gwalior  in  the  west.  Gwalior  is  under 
native  rule,  the  present  rulership  being  a  remnant  of  a 
great  imperial  power,  that  of  the  Mahrattas.  It  is  not  now 
an  independent  State,  however,  but  is  subject  to  the  para- 
mount power  of  Britain.  The  Mahratta  Kingdom  of  Gwa- 
lior, known  as  that  of  Scindia,  lost  a  large  measure  of  its 
independence  in  1843,  when  upon  the  death  of  the  Maha- 
raja Junkojee  Scindia,  who  died  without  issue  and  with- 
out having  named  a  successor,  serious  trouble  arose  in 
regard  to  the  regency  by  which  the  affairs  of  the  State 
should  be  guided  and  controlled  until  the  boy,  then  only 
8  years  old,  whom  Junkojee's  child-widow  had  adopted 
as  his  successor,  should  attain  his  majority  and  be 
placed  upon  the  throne.  Before  1843,  indeed,  Scindia 
had  not  been  wholly  independent  of  British  control,  but 
at  this  juncture  it  was  deemed  imperative  by  Lord 
Ellenborough,  the  Governor-General,  that  the  Supreme 
Power  should  assert  its  authority  more  decisively   and 


8  IN    THE    HEART    OF    INDIA. 

potentially,  not  only  to  put  an  end  to  intrigue  in  the 
palace  at  Gwalior,  but  to  gain  that  ascendency  over  the 
over-grown  and  turbulent  army  of  the  Principality, 
v^hich  was  in  his  opinion  absolutely  essential  to  the 
maintenance  of  British  over-lordship  in  India.  The 
Governor-General's  demands  at  this  time  not  being 
acceded  to,  he  lost  no  time  in  marching  an  army  into 
the  Gwalior  territory,  and  being  resisted  by  the  Gwalior 
troops,  two  great  battles  simultaneously  ensued,  in  both 
of  which  the  British  forces  were  victorious.  They  how- 
ever lost  in  killed  and  wounded  one  thousand  men.  Of 
the  Gwalior  forces  the  slain  and  disabled  in  one  6i  the 
battles  alone  amounted  to  three  thousand,  while  as 
another  result  of  the  same  engagement  no  less  than  fifty- 
six  pieces  of  ordnance  were  left  upon  the  field  by  the 
Mahrattas.  Thus  was  the  Kingdom  of  Scindia  subdued, 
and  it  only  remained  for  Queen  Victoria's  representative 
on  the  ground  to  impose  upon  the  conquered  State  such 
restrictions  as  would  render  it  henceforth  impossible  for 
the  Gwalior  army  to  menace  in  any  way  the  safety  of 
the  British  dominion.  It  was  required  of  Scindia  that 
of  his  army  of  40,000,  31,000  should  be  at  once  disband- 
ed, and  the  State  was  allowed  to  retain  only  30  guns,  in- 
stead of  the  200  which  it  had  formerly  kept.  The  Bri- 
tish contingent  forces,  maintained  at  the  expense  of  the 
Gwalior  State,  and  garrisoned  at  the  British  cantonment 
of  Morar  near  by,  were  increased  to  10,000.  The  fortress 
of  Gwalior,  one  of  the  strongest  in  India,  was  taken 
possession  of  by  the  British,  and  garrisoned  by  British 
soldiers ;  and  it  was  expressly  stipulated  by  the  British 
Governor-General  that  henceforth  Scindia  should  act  im- 
plicitly on  the  recommendation  of  the  British  Political 
Agent  resident  at  Gwalior,  whenever  in  regard  to  the  aftairs 
of  the  State  he  might  feel  called  upon  to  give  him  advice. 


IN   THE    HEART   OF   INDIA.  y 

Though  Lord  Ellen  borough,  on  account  of  his  excessive 
fondness  for  military  display,  and  his  neglect  of  the  civil 
administration  in  India,  was,  soon  after  the  occurrence  of 
these  events  at  Gwalior  deprived  of  his  office,  yet  his 
policy  in  regard  to  the  army  of  Scindia  was  abundantly 
vindicated  when  only  two  years  after  this  it  was  neces- 
sary for  the  British  to  engage  in  war  with  the  Sikhs,  and 
also  when  fourteen  years  later  the  mutiny  amongst  the 
sepoys  in  the  British  army  threatened  to  drive  the  Bri- 
tish out  of  India. 

The  boy,  Bhageerut  Kao  by  name,  who  as  the  nearest 
male  relative  of  the  Maharaja  Junkojee  Scindia,  had  been 
selected  for  the  Gwalior  throne,  and  whose  selection  had 
been  approved  by  the  British  Governor-General,  reached 
his  majority  in  1853,  and  was  then  placed  in  power 
with  the  royal  title  of  Maharaja  Jyajee  Scindia.  Later  on, 
some  account  will  be  given  of  events  in  Bundelkhand  dur- 
ing the  mutiny  of  1857-58,  It  will  suffice  to  say  at  present 
that  during  that  trying  time  the  Maharaja  Jyajee  Scin- 
dia, the  father  of  the  present  ruling  Prince,  remained 
faithful  to  the  British  Government  under  circumstances 
of  the  most  trying  character,  and  doubtless  his  loyalty, 
which  preserved  to  him  his  Kingdom,  is  to  be  ascribed  in 
very  large  measure  to  the  influence  of  those  British  Polit- 
ical Agents — Durand,  Shakespeare,  Sale  and  Macpherson 
— who  successively  resided  at  Gwalior  in  the  years  im- 
mediately preceding  the  mutiny ;  and  also  to  the  coun- 
sels of  that  enlightened  Indian  Statesman — Dinkar  Eao 
— who  was  Prime-minister  at  Gwalior  at  the  time  of  the 
mutiny,  and  in  fullest  sympathy  with  the  Supreme  Gov- 
ernment. It  was  during  the  reign  of  the  Maharaja 
Jyajee  Scindia  that  the  missionary  work  of  which  we  are 
now  to  speak  was  commenced  at  Gwalior. 

At  the  annual  meeting  of  the  Furrukhabad  Mission  in 


10  IN   THE   HEART   OF   INDIA. 

the  autumn  of  1873  it  was  the  unanimous  feeling  of  all 
present  that  the  time  had  arrived  when  we  ought  to  send 
a  missionary  to  Gwalior.  From  this  it  might  rightly  be 
inferred  that  in  the  minds  of  the  members  of  this  mission 
a  feeling  of  responsibility  for  the  evangelization  of  the 
people  of  Gwalior  had  been  growing  for  some  time  pre- 
viously. This  was  owing  to  the  fact  that  the  territory 
of  Gwalior  bordered  upon  one  of  the  districts  occupied 
by  the  Furrukhabad  Mission,  namely,  the  district  of 
Etawah. 

When  it  was  decided  that  one  of  our  number  should 
proceed  to  the  capital  of  Scindia's  dominions,  both  Dr. 
Brodhead  and  Dr.  Warren  promptly  volunteered  to  go 
to  this  new  field ;  which  shows  how  important  in  the 
estimation  of  the  mission,  and  particularly  in  the  view  of 
those  who  coveted  the  privilege  of  going  to  Gwalior, 
the  step  we  were  taking  then  appeared  to  be. 

For  the  sake  of  enabling  the  reader  to  understand  the 
situation  at  GwaHor,  it  is  necessary  to  point  out  that 
Scindia's  Capital  consists  of  two  cities — one  Old  Gwalior, 
as  it  is  called,  containing  a  population  of  twenty- five  or 
thirty  thousand  inhabitants  ;  and  the  other,  the  Lashkar  '-'• 
or  city  of  the  army,  containing  seventy-five  or  eighty 
thousand  people.  This  is  the  new  city  which  grew  up 
at  the  army  head-quarters  when  Scindia  removed  his 
capital  from  Ujjain  f  in  Malwa  to  Gwalior.  The  Malwa 
country,  in  which  the  former  capital  was  situated,  is  very 
fertile,  and  from  its  rich  fields  Scindia  derives  the  greater 

*  Pronounced  Lushkar.  The  word  Lashkar  is  a  Hindi  word, 
meaning  the  army. 

t  Ujjain,  the  old  capital  of  Scindia,  with  a  population  of  34,000, 
is  270  miles  south-west  of  Gwalior.  It  is  one  of  the  mission  sta- 
tions of  the  Canadian  Presbyterian  Church.  Neemuch,  in  the 
Gwalior  territory,  120  miles  north-west  from  Ujjain,  is  another 
station  of  the  Canadian  Presbyterian  Mission. 


IN   THE    HEART    OF    INDIA.  11 

portion  of  his  revenue,  whereas  much  of  the  country 
around  Gwalior  is  unfit  for  cultivation  and  is  sparsely  in- 
habited. The  attraction  at  Gwalior  was  the  great  natural 
fortress,  which  has  been  called  the  "  Gibraltar  of  India." 
This  mass  of  rock  rises  precipitously  from  the  plain  to 
the  height  of  more  than  300  feet,  and  is  one  and  a  quarter 
miles  in  length,  and  one  quarter  of  a  mile  in  width.  The 
summit  of  this  rock  is  a  level  surface,  and  has  upon  it, 
besides  extensive  buildings  for  the  accommodation  of  the 
soldiers  garrisoned  there,  a  number  of  temples  of  great 
archaeological  and  architectural  interest,  one  of  them 
probably  dating  from  the  tenth  century,  and  another 
from  the  eleventh  century,  as  well  as  the  palace  built  by 
Eaja  Man  Singh  in  A.D.  1486-1516.  These  are  solid 
stone  structures,  and  are  ornamented  with  elaborate 
carvings.  As  ancient  monuments  they  are  specially 
cared  for  by  the  British  Government,  the  sum  of  11,625 
rupees  having  been  spent  twenty  years  ago  in  rescuing 
them  from  neglect.  The  fortress  of  Gwalior,  stretching 
between  the  old  city  and  the  new  one,  overlooks  both. 
It  is  seen  from  a  long  distance  as  one  approaches  Gwalior, 
and  is  a  striking  feature  of  the  landscape.  The  two 
white  palaces,  adjoining  the  new  city,  are  large  and  im- 
posing edifices.  One  of  them,  built  in  modern  style,  is 
one  of  the  finest  in  India.  In  the  same  neighborhood 
and  not  far  from  the  railway  station  are  a  well-appointed 
guest-house  for  European  visitors,  and  a  capacious 
and  comfortable  serai  for  native  travellers.  The  latter  like 
the  former  is  built  of  cut  stone,  and  is  architecturally  a 
fine  structure.  It  bears  the  name  of  "  Dufferin."  In  a 
suburb  of  the  new  city  are  the  Victoria  College,  recent- 
ly established,  and  an  extensive  hospital  founded  by  the 
reigning  Scindia  in  memory  of  his  father  Jyajee.  These 
are  very   costly  buildings,  being  constructed  of  polished 


12  IN   THE    HEART   OF   INDIA. 

stone,    and    being    besides    highly     ornamented    with 
carvings  in  oriental  fashion. 

Five  miles  from  the  fortress  of  Gwalior  is  Morar,  which 
was  for  many  years  previous  to  1886  one  of  the  largest 
British  cantonments  in  the  Bengal  Presidency.     When 
our  missionaries,  the  Eev.    Joseph  Warren,   d.d.,    and 
his  wife  began  to  face  the  situation  in  the  new  field  to 
which  they  had  been  appointed,  they  thought  it  more 
prudent  to  settle  in  Morar,  rather  than  to  attempt  at  the 
outset  to  gain   a    foothold   in    the   immediate   vicinity 
either  of  old  Gwalior  or  the  new  city.     There  was  no 
probability  that  a  house  in  which  to  dwell  could  be  ob- 
tained in  either  of  these  neighborhoods,    and  it  would 
have  been  useless  at  that  time  to  try  to  secure  a  building- 
site  on  any  ground  belonging  to  the  Maharaja  Scindia  or 
any  of  his  subjects.     On  British  soil  the  missionaries 
could  settle  down  quietly,  and  begin  their  work  without 
let  or  hindrance.     They   found  no  difficulty  in  obtaining 
on  rent  a  suitable  residence  in  Mora.r,  and  they  were 
able  after  a  short  time  to  purchase  a  home  of  their  own, 
which  has  ever  since  been  known  as  the  "  Mission  house." 
Dr.  Warren  after  being  in  India   from   1839  to  1854, 
spent  17  years  in  the  United   States,  and  during  a  part 
of  this  period — the  years  of  the  civil  war — he  had  served 
as  a  chaplain  in  the  U.  S.  army.     At  the  time  of  his 
going  to  Morar  a  regiment  of  Scotch  Highlanders  was 
garrisoned  there,  and  they  (mostly  Presbyterians)  were 
soon  after  Dr.  Warren's  arrival  deprived  of  their  chap- 
lain.    It  was  at  once  arranged  that  Dr.  Warren  should 
act  as  Presbyterian  chaplain  at  Morar,  which  arrange- 
ment not   only   provided  him    with   an  important   and 
congenial  sphere  of  usefulness,  but  gave  him  a  standing 
in  the  British  cantonment  which  was  advantageous,  and 
furnished  him  with  pecuniary  aid  for  his  missionary  work. 


IN   THE   HEART   OF    INDIA.  13 

In  commencing  to  reach  the  heathen  with  the  Gospel 
no  opposition  whatever  was  encountered,  either  in  the 
Morar  bazaar,  which  contained  a  large  native  population, 
or  in  the  city  itself ;  and  no  difficulties  have  since  arisen  in 
connection  with  this  work.  This  was  doubtless  largely 
due  to  wise  procedure  on  the  part  of  the  pioneer  evangel- 
ist and  his  assistants.  Imprudence  on  the  part  of  a 
missionary  to  the  heathen  may  cause  his  work  to  be 
seriously  hindered  or  entirely  stopped.  Commotions 
unattended  with  divine  blessing  are  not  of  the  sort  which 
turn  the  world  upside  down  after  the  apostoHc  manner. 
Such  tumults  might  easily  have  been  stirred  up  at 
Gwalior  by  injudicious  action  on  the  part  of  the  Christian 
preachers.  The  work  of  the  mission  at  Morar,  which 
was  wholly  evangelistic,  was  carried  on  unobtrusively 
until  Dr.  Warren's  death  in  1878,  and  it  was  not  W'ithout 
fruits.  A  Church  was  organized,  and  regular  services  in 
connection  with  it  were  maintained.  The  distance  from 
Morar  of  the  main  population  which  it  was  the  mission's 
object  to  reach  in  entering  the  Gwalior  field  was  and 
continues  to  be  a  great  obstacle  to  the  efficient  prose- 
cution of  the  work. 

In  loneliness  of  a  very  exceptional  character  Mrs. 
Warren  remained  at  Morar  during  twenty-two  long 
years,  and  then  went  to  the  United  States  only  for  a 
short  sojourn,  after  being  in  India  continuously  for  a 
period  of  26  years.  She  returned  to  Morar  in  mid- 
summer 1901  only  to  die  and  be  laid  beside  her  husband 
in  the  English  cemetery  at  that  place.  At  the  funeral 
of  the  lamented  missionary,  His  Highness  the  Maharaja 
Sir  Madho  Kao  Scindia,  was  not  only  in  attendance,  but 
in  preparation  for  the  obsequies  every  thing  had  been 
done   at    his   command   which    could   attest   the   high 


14  IN   THE   HEART   OF   INDIA. 

esteem  in  which  Mrs.  Warren  had  ever  been  held  by 
him.  One  of  his  gun-carriages  drawn  by  four  horses 
carried  the  deceased  to  the  grave,  and  forming  a  part 
of  the  cortege  which  followed  was  his  own  carriage 
containing  himself,  his  English  physician,  whose  atten- 
tion to  Mrs.  Warren  during  her  illness  had  been  un- 
remitting and  most  kind,  and  the  writer.  Mrs.  Warren 
had  known  the  Maharaja  from  his  infancy,  and  he  had 
been  accustomed  to  speak  of  her  as  "mother."  In 
acknowledging  the  thanks  of  the  mission  for  the  stead- 
fast friendship  and  unvarying  kindness  which  he  had 
shown  to  Mrs.  Warren  he  directed  the  following  to  be 
sent  to  the  President  of  the  Mission  : — 

"  Jai  Bilas,  Gwalior,  14:ih  December,  1901. 
Dear  Sir, 

I  am  desired  to  acknowledge  the  receipt  of  your  letter 
dated  the  9th  instant,  with  enclosure,  and  to  request  you 
to  kindly  convey  His  Highness'  thanks  to  the  members 
of  the  Furrukhabad  Mission  for  their  very  kind  expression 
of  gratitude. 

I  may  add  that  the  death  of  Mrs.  Warren  was  a  great 
loss  to  Gwalior  people,  and  was  equally  felt  by  the 
general  public  of  every  age. 

I  am,  yours  truly, 
A.  R.  S., 
Private  Secretary  to 

n.  H.  the  Maharaja  Scindia." 

The  Maharaja,  according  to  his  desire  expressed  at 
the  time  of  Mrs.  Warren's  death,  has  placed  a  stone  at 
her  grave,  and  in  accordance  with  his  request  mention 
is  made  in  the  inscription  upon  it  that  it  was  erected  by 
him  as  a  mark  of  his  personal  esteem. 


IN    THE    HEAKT   OF   INDIA.  15 

We  are  thankful  to  be  able  to  write  that  in  1902  other 
missionaries  were  sent  to  be  the  successors  of  those  who 
began  the  work  in  Gwalior  and  there  laid  down  their  lives. 
They  are  the  Bev.  John  Symington,  m.d.,  and  his  wife, 
and  Mrs.  Wyckoff  (mother  of  Mrs.  Symington)  the  widow 
of  the  Eev.  B.  D.  Wyckoff,  formerly  of  the  Furrukhabad 
Mission. 


III. 

WORK  BEGUN  IN  JHANSI,  IN  CENTRAL 
BUNDELKHAND. 

1873. 

We  now  turn  to  Jhansi  in  the  heart  of  Bundela  Land. 
One  year  before  the  work  in  GwaUor  was  begun,  a  com- 
mittee of  three  was  appointed  by  the  mission  to  visit 
Jhansi  and  look  over  that  field  with  reference  to  our 
beginning  work  there.  One  member  of  this  committee, 
the  writer  of  this  sketch,  was  not  able  to  go.  The  others, 
Messrs.  Ullmann  and  Kellogg,  went,  and  on  their  return 
reported  most  favorably  in  regard  to  the  occupation  of 
Jhansi  as  a  station  of  our  mission.  Mr.  Kellogg,  in 
writing  to  the  Board  in  New  York  soon  after  his  return 
from  Jhansi,  said,  "  I  am  glad  to  bring  a  most  encourag- 
ing report.  Throughout  the  whole  country  we  found  the 
people  uncommonly  ready  to  hear  the  Gospel,  and  every- 
where had  very  large  and  attentive  congregations.  The 
question  of  the  occupancy  of  Jhansi  by  a  foreign  mission- 
ary I  need  not  take  up  now;  it  will  be  laid  before  the 
mission.  I  will  only  say  that  it  seems  to  us  both  an  ad- 
mirable place  for  a  station.  I  think  that,  without  doubt, 
our  mission  will  at  least  direct  some  one  to  go  down 
into  that  region  and  spend  next  cold  season  itinerating." 


IN    THE    HEART    OF    INDIA.  17 

The  outcome  of  this  committee's  visit  to  Jhansi  was 
not  the  sending  of  a  missionary  to  this  field,  as  that  could 
not  be  done  at  once.  The  mission  felt,  however,  that 
something  in  the  direction  of  occupying  this  field  should 
be  done  without  delay,  and  as  the  Rev.  J.  F.  Ullmann 
at  Etawah  was  nearer  to  Central  Bundelkhand  than  any 
other  of  our  missionaries,  he  was  asked  to  consider  that 
region  as  a  part  of  his  field,  and  to  do  there,  by  means  of 
his  native  assistants  especially,  as  much  evangelizing  as 
might  be  found  practicable.  As  the  best  that  could  be 
done  under  the  circumstances,  this  arrangement  was 
satisfactory  to  Mr.  Ullmann,  and  so  deeply  interested  was 
he  in  the  people  among  whom  he  had  recently  been 
touring,  that  he  determined  to  send  his  entire  force  of 
helpers  into  Bundelkhand.  The  party,  of  which  an 
ordained  minister,  the  Rev.  E.  Nabibakhsh,  was  appoint- 
ed leader,  consisted  of  six  preachers,  two  colporteurs  and 
one  school-teacher.  The  leader,  with  the  school-teacher 
and  one  of  the  colporteurs,  went  to  Jhansi,  and  the 
remaining  six  were  placed  in  three  other  large  towns, 
Kalpi,  Orai  and  Koonch — two  being  appointed  to  work 
together  in  and  around  each  of  these  centres.  At  the 
end  of  a  year  the  Gospel  had  been  preached  not  only  in 
the  neighborhoods  where  the  preachers  were  stationed, 
but  also  to  a  considerable  extent  throughout  other  parts 
of  Bundelkhand.  From  Kalpi  and  Orai  tours  w^ere  made 
in  the  district  of  Jalaun,  of  which  Orai  is  the  head-quar- 
ters, lasting  altogether  forty-seven  days.  An  extensive 
tour,  lasting  three  months  and  three  days,  was  made  by 
four  of  the  native  assistants  who  started  from  JEtawah 
and  travelled  in  the  British  districts  of  Jalaun,  Jhansi 
and  Lalitpur,  and  the  native  States  of  Sumter  and  Orcha, 
visiting  two  hundred  and  sixteen  towns  and  villages. 

During  this  year  a  Brahmin  family  at  Jhansi — husband, 
2 


18  IN    THE    HEART    OF    INDIA. 

wife  aad  child, — became  Christians.  The  man  was  highly 
respected  in  that  city  as  priest  of  one  of  the  principal 
temples  there.  He  first  bought  a  New  Testament  from 
one  of  the  preachers,  and  from  reading  that,  and  by 
means  of  the  instruction  which  he  received,  was  led  to 
reject  Hinduism  and  embrace  Christianity.  It  was  a 
catechist  from  the  lowest  caste  of  the  Hindus  who  was 
the  instructor  of  this  man,  and  thus  was  shown  how  the 
Lord  honors  those  whom  the  w^orld  despises.  The  people 
of  Jhansi  were  amazed  at  this  conversion,  and  said  to  the 
catechise,  "There  must  be  some  magic  in  your  books, 
which  turned  our  priest's  head.  You  have  taken  one  of 
our  best  men,  who  was  made  priest  of  that  temple  of 
our  goddess  by  our  Maharaja,  and  you  have  made  him  a 
Christian."  To  this  the  catechist  replied,  "  If  your  great 
goddess  Lakshmi  had  any  power,  she  would  have  pre- 
vented her  priest  from  leaving  her,  but  you  see,  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  by  his  almighty  power  laid  hold  of  her 
priest,  and  drew  him  to  himself,  turning  him  who  w^as  a 
(Devidas  (servant  of  the  goddess)  into  a  Prabhudas 
servant  of  the  Lord)."  The  name  Prabhudas  was 
chosen  by  the  convert  himself  when  he  was  baptized. 

This  work  in  Bundelkhand,  superintended  from  Eta- 
wah,  was  carried  on  for  three  years,  when  partly  on 
account  of  the  difficulty  of  directing  and  overseeing  it 
from  such  a  distance,  and  for  other  reasons  also,  it  was 
found  necessary  to  withdraw  the  workers  from  that  field. 

Not  till  the  autumn  of  1885  did  the  mission  see  'its 
way  to  taking  up  its  work  again  in  Central  Bundelkhand. 
At  the  annual  meeting  of  the  mission,  w4iich  then  took 
place,  this  field  was  again  talked  of,  and  subsequently  a 
committee  of  four  was  appointed  to  visit  Jhansi  and 
report  upon  the  advisability  or  otherwise  of  its  being 
made  a  mission  station  to  be  occupied  by  a  missionary. 


IN    THE    HEART    OF    INDIA.  19 

The  immediate  cause  of  this  revival  of  interest  in  Jhansi 
was  the  nev^^s  which  had  reached  us  through  Mrs.  Warren 
at  Morar,  that  the  British  garrison  was  to  be  withdrawn 
from  GwaHor,  that  Morar  was  to  be  abandoned  as  a 
British  cantonment,  and  that  tlie  fortress  of  Gwaliorwas 
to  be  restored  to  Scindia.  The  British  garrison  at 
Jhansi  was  to  be  increased,  and  the  fort  and  city  of 
Jhansi,  which  belonged  to  Scindia,  were  to  become 
British  possessions.  These  changes,  which  were  to  be 
effected  within  a  few  months,  would  be  alike  satisfactory 
to  the  British  Government  and  to  Scindia,  as  the  need 
no  longer  existed  of  maintaining  the  British  contingent 
force  at  Morar.  Since  1843  the  British  had  held  the 
great  fortress  which  overlooked  Scindia's  capital  and 
cantonment,  and  this  state  of  things  had  continued  not- 
withstanding the  fact  that  the  Maharaja,  Jyajee  Scindia, 
on  account  of  his  loyalty  to  the  British  Government  and 
his  military  experience,  had  been  made  an  Honorary 
Major-General  of  the  British  Army  in  India.  The 
rendition  of  this  fortress  had  been  to  Scindia,  as  might 
be  supposed,  an  object  of  great  desire.  Equally  satis- 
factory to  the  British  was  it  to  obtain  the  fort  and  city 
of  Jhansi  in  exchange  for  what  they  were  entirely  ready 
to  relinquish  at  Gwalior  ;  for  the  situation  of  the  British 
residents  at  Jhansi,  both  civil  and  military,  was  exceed- 
ingly unpleasant  and  otherwise  undesirable,  as  they 
were  obliged  to  be  quartered  in  close  proximity  to 
Scindia's  city,  within  which  was  the  strong  fort,  garrison- 
ed by  Gwalior  State  troops. 

The  native  PrincipaUty  of  Jhansi,  including  the  capital 
city  and  a  large  territory  surrounding  it  had  lapsed  to  the 
British  in  1853,  when  the  reigning  Prince  had  died  with- 
out issue,  and  his  adoption  of  a  youth  distantly  related 
to  him  to  be  his  successor  was  disallowed ;  but  in  1861 


20  IN    THE    HEAET    OF    INDIA. 

the  city  of  Jhansi  with  a  large  portion  of  territory  on  one 
side  of  it  had  been  ceded  to  Scindia,  leaving  the  territory, 
up  to  the  city  wall  on  the  other  side,  to  the  British. 

It  was  because  the  Indian  Midland  Eailway,  opening 
up  this  part  of  Central  India,  and  having  its  head- 
quarters at  Jhansi,  where  four  lines  would  converge, 
would  soon  be  completed,  that  the  British  forces,  no 
longer  needed  at  Morar  as  a  strategic  point,  could  be 
withdrawn  and  placed  with  greater  advantage  at  Jhansi 
and  elsewhere. 

Under  the  new  conditions  at  Gwalior  it  was  doubtful 
whether  our  mission  would  be  allowed  to  remain  there. 
Hence  the  importance  of  our  seeking  to  gain  at  Jhansi  a 
position  which  might  compensate  us  for  the  loss  we 
might  be  obliged  to  sustain  at  Gwalior.  Besides, 
Jhansi  in  itself  was  to  become  one  of  the  most  desirable 
locations  in  Central  India  as  a  centre  for  missionary 
operations. 


IV. 

CHARACTERISTICS  OF  BUNDELKHAND  AND 
ITS  PEOPLE. 

Anticipating  the  account  to  be  given  of  the  visit  to 
J  bans  i  of  the  mission's  committee  appointed  near  the 
end  of  1885,  it  will  be  well  to  acquaint  the  reader  some- 
what with  the  characteristics  of  Bundelkhand  and  its 
people,  and  the  political  history  of  the  district  which 
became,  as  the  result  of  the  committee's  recommendation 
a  part  of  the  Furrukhabad  Mission  field. 

It  is  interesting  to  note  in  passing  that  Ptolemy,  who 
completed  his  great  work  on  geography  in  A.D.  151, 
was  not  ignorant  of  the  region  now  known  as  Bundel- 
khand, for  he  speaks  of  the  famous  rock  Kalinjar  under 
the  name  of  Kanagara. 

The  appearance  of  the  greater  part  of  the  country 
bearing  the  name  of  Bundelkhand  is  very  different  from 
the  uniformly  level  plain  of  the  adjoining  Doab,  in  which 
most  of  the  stations  of  the  Furrukhabad  Mission  are 
situated.  The  landscape  is  diversified  with  hills  which 
in  the  middle  portion  of  this  region  not  unfrequently  rise 
like  pyramids  abruptly  from  the  plain,  "  suggesting,"  as 
has  been  said,  "  the  idea  of  rocky  islands  rearing  them- 
selves out  of  the  sea  "  ;  then  there  are  ranges  of  hills 
intersecting  the  plain,  running  for  the  most  part  from 
the  south  toward  the  north-east,  and  extending  sometimes 


'-^•-^  IN    THE    HEART    OF   INDIA. 

for   long   distances ;    while    in    the    south-eastern    and 
south-western  parts  rise  the  higher  Bindachal  mountains, 
which  are  a  part  of  the  Vindya  system  of  Central  India. 
Much  of  the  land  is  rocky  and  unfit  for  cultivation.     In 
those  tracts  where  good  soil  is  found,  the  variety  of  green 
fields   or   ripening  harvests,    and  hills  rising  here    and 
there  in    the  midst  of  them,  is  very  pleasing  to  the  eye. 
Some  of  the  hills  are  for  the  most  part  bare  rocks,  often 
presenting   to  the  view  the  most  fantastic  shapes,  while 
others,  covered  with  a  great  variety  of  trees  and  verdure, 
are  exquisitely  picturesque.   Many  of  the  hills  are  crown- 
ed w^ith   ruined   forts,    which  once    afforded  refuge  and 
defense  to  bauds  of  robbers  with  which  the  country  was 
infested.     Some  of  these  forts  were   occupied  as  resi- 
dences by  robber  chieftains.     The  villages  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  these  forts  belonged    to    these   chiefs,    and 
every  male  adult  was  compelled  to  declare  himself  as 
attached   to  some  marauding  leader  in    his  village.     All 
were  practised  in  the  use  of  weapons  of  warfare,  and  no 
one  left  his  home  without  being  suitably  armed,  for  the 
taking  of  life  on  the  highway  was  no  uncommon  occur- 
rence.    Abul  Fazl,  the  favorite  minister  of  the  Emperor 
Akbar,  when  passing  through  Bundelkhand  on  his  way 
from  the  Deccan  to  Delhi,  was  waylaid  and  murdered  by 
the    notorious  free-booter,  Bir  Singh  Deo,  who   subse- 
quently  became  one  of  the  most  famous  of   the  line  of 
Bundela  kings.     His  capital  was  at  Orcha,  within  a  few 
miles   of  the  place  where  the  city  of  Jhansi   was  after- 
wards   founded.      On    account    of    the    warlike     and 
predatory   character  of  the  inhabitants  of  Bundelkhand 
at  that  time,  the   Mahomedan  Emperors   of   Delhi,    to 
whom  they  owed  a  nominal  allegiance,  were  never  able 
to   bring  them  under  entire  subjection,  and  as  a  conse- 
quenee  they  could  collect  from  them  but  comparatively 


IN    THK    HEART    OF    INDIA.  23 

little  tribute.  Bandelkhand  as  it  was  in  the  time  of  the 
Bundela  kings  has  been  truly  described  as  a  land  sacred 
to  brigandism.  As  a  matter  of  course  under  such  con- 
ditions agriculture  languished,  and  commerce  was  beset 
with  difficulties  and  risks  which  rendered  it  well  nigh 
prohibitive,  for  property,  especially  that  which  was 
moveable,  was  utterly  insecure.  As  late  as  the  year  1872, 
the  Agent  of  the  British  Governor- General,  who  had  re- 
cently made  a  tour  in  the  vicinity  of  the  old  capital  of  the 
Bundela  Chiefs,  wrote,  "  I  could  nob  fail  to  observe  in 
passing  through  Orcha,  that  this  country  of  rocks,  forest- 
covered  wastes  and  forts  is  populated  by  thousands,  who 
but  for  the  British  prestige  would  make  the  old  hills 
ring  again  with  their  war  cries."  Still  more  recently 
bands  of  dacoits  in  this  same  region  have  been  hunted 
down  and  shot,  or  if  captured  have  been  sent  into  exile. 
The  masses  of  the  people,  who  are  peaceable  cultivators 
of  the  soil,  are  most  thankful  to  Government  for  being 
delivered  from  the  depredations  and  cruelties  committed 
by  such  villainous  plunderers. 

In  the  districts  of  Hamirpurand  Jhansi  are  numerous 
artificial  lakes,  some  of  them  several  miles  in  circum- 
ference, which  were  formed  by  damming  up  small 
streams,  whose  beds  are  dry  or  nearly  dry  in  the  hot 
weather,  but  which  in  the  rainy  season  are  filled  with 
water.  The  stone  embankments  of  some  of  these  lakes 
are  very  extensive,  and  their  structure  is  elaborate, 
showing  that  they  were  built  at  enormous  expense.  The 
great  embankment  of  the  beautiful  lake  and  the  adjoining 
castle  at  Barwa  Sagar,  twelve  miles  from  Jhansi,  were 
begun  by  one  of  the  Bundela  Kings  in  1705,  and  completed 
in  1737. 

On  account  of  the  large  amount  of  waste  land  in 
Bundelkhand  the  population  is  not  so  dense  as  in  the 


24  IN    THE    HEART    OF    INDIA. 

more  fertile  parts  of  Central  India.  Famines,  due  to  the 
failure  of  rain,  have  occurred  here  more  frequently  than 
elsewhere  in  this  part  of  India,  but  so  much  has  been 
done  by  the  Government  for  the  salvation  of  life  and 
the  relief  of  suffering  when  famines  have  occurred,  that 
the  villagers  have  good  reason  to  be  grateful  and  loyal 
to  their  present  rulers,  as  indeed  they  appear  to  be. 

In  Bundelkhand  are  found  a  great  number  of  native 
States,  some  of  them  quite  insignificant  in  size,  and 
others  of  considerable  importance  both  territorially  and 
politically,  which,  while  nominally  independent,  are  under 
British  protection  and  control.  That  part  of  Bundel- 
khand in  which  Jhansi  lies,  is  remarkable  for  the  inter- 
mixture of  territory  owned  by  native  Chiefs  with  that 
which  belongs  to  the  Supreme  Government.  Every 
road  which  connects  Jhansi  with  some  other  portion  of 
British  territory  passes  through  one  or  more  native 
States,  and  in  passing  from  one  part  of  the  Jhansi 
district  to  another,  it  is  frequently  necessary  to  cross 
over  a  strip  of  country  belonging  to  some  native  Chief. 
All  these  roads,  however,  belong  to  the  British  Govern- 
ment, and  in  our  intercourse  with  the  people  as 
missionaries,  it  is  of  little  consequence  whether  we  know 
or  do  not  know  to  whom  a  certain  village  belongs. 

Before  the  Indian  Midland  Railway  was  built,  Jhansi 
was  one  of  the  most  out-of-the-way  places  in  India.  In 
fact  during  the  rainy  season  it  was  sometimes  almost 
entirely  cut  off  from  communication  with  other  parts  of 
the  country  by  swollen  rivers;  but  that  state  of  things 
exists  no  more.  From  being  in  an  exceptionally  isolated 
position,  its  connections  with  all  parts  of  India  have, 
through  the  different  lines  of  railway  centring  here 
become  exceptionally  convenient. 

Although    Bundelkhand  received    its    name   from   its 


IN  THE    HEART   OF    INDIA.  25 

early  conquerors,  the  Bundelas,  the  Bundela  clan  at  the 
time  of  its  ascendency  in  Central  India  seems  not  to 
have  been  a  very  large  one,  and  the  descendants  of  this 
once  powerful  dynasty  are  now  not  numerous  in  Bundel- 
khand.  The  usual  mixture  of  Indian  nationalities,  tribes 
and  castes  found  in  the  regions  adjacent  to  Bundel- 
khand  exists  here  also  at  the  present  time.  The  Mahom- 
edan  element  of  the  population  is  neither  large  nor 
influential.  The  influence  of  Hinduism  is  predominant, 
but  among  the  Hindus  of  Bundelkhand  bigotry  and 
caste  prejudice  are  not  as  strong  as  among  the  same 
classes  in  other  districts  occupied  by  our  missionaries. 


V. 

THE  FOUNDING  OF  JHANSI,  AND  THE  POLIT= 
ICAL  HISTORY  OF  THE  PRINCIPALITY.* 

The  fort  of  Jhansi  was  built  by  the  Bundela  Chief,  Bir 
Singh  Deo,  about  two  hundred  and  seventy- live  years  ago. 
The  rock  on  which  it  is  built  was  the  site  of  a  small 
village  called  Balwantnagar  (strong  town).  The  founding 
of  the  city  of  Jhansi  was  commenced  about  one  hundred 
and  sixty  years  ago,  but  the  city  was  named  about  a  cen- 
tury before  it  was  built.  The  origin  of  the  name  is  explain- 
ed by  the  people  of  Orcha  on  this  wise  : — They  relate  that 
the  Raja  of  Jaitpur  was  on  a  visit  to  Bir  Singh  Deo,  and 
when  one  day  both  were  sitting  on  the  roof  of  the  palace 
at  Orcha,  the  latter,  pointing  in  the  direction  of  his  new 
fort  in  the  distance  (about  six  miles  ot^"),  asked  his  guest 
if  he  could  see  it.  Shading  his  eyes  with  his  hand,  and 
looking  intently  in  the  direction  indicated,  the  Jaitpur 
Raja  replied,  "  Jhain-si,"  meaning  **  shadow-like,"  by 
which  he  intended  that  he  could  see  it  indistinctly ;  and 
through  this  incident  the  city  which  afterwards  grew  up 
around  the  fort  came  to  be  named  Jhansi. 

The  city  of  Jhansi  was  founded  as  the  capital  of  a 
Mahratta  Principality.  In  the  early  decades  of  the 
eighteenth  century  two  great  rival  powers  came  into  con- 


*  That   is,    up    to    the  time  of    its    annexation    by  the   British 
Governor-General,  Lord  Dalhousie. 


IN    THE    HEART    OF    INDIA.  27 

flict   in    Central    India.     They    were    the    Mahomedan 
Moguls,  having  their  capital  at  Delhi,  and  the  Mahrattas 
(a  numerous  and  warlike  race  of  Hindus),  whose  capital 
was  at  Poona  in  the  Deccan,  eighty  miles  south-east    of 
JBomhay.    The  Delhi  Emperors  were  seeking  to  establish 
their    supremacy      in    Bundelkhand,    where    they    had 
hitherto  held  but  a  nominal  sway.     The  Mahrattas  were 
endeavoring    by    every  possible   means  to  extend  their 
dominion  toward  the  north-east,  their  ultimate  aim  being 
the  overthrow  of  the  Musalman  Empire,  and  to  further 
this  end    they    were    anxious  to   obtain    the  control  of 
Bundelkhand,  for  the  purpose  of  opening  up  a  safe  high- 
way between  the  Mahratta  country  and  the  Ganges-Jumna 
Doab.     The  Bundela  Chiefs  in  Central  India  were  in  a 
situation  strikingly  similar  to  that  of  the  Kings  of  Judah 
and  Israel,  when  they  had  to  be  on  their  guard  against 
invasions  of  the  Assyrian  hosts  from  the  north-east,  and 
incursions  of  the  Egyptian  armies  from  the   south-west. 
Chhatarsal,  one'of    he  greatest  of  the  Bundela  Chiefs, 
had  been  exceedingly  successful  at  this  same  period  not 
only  in  his  encounters  with  various  Mahomedan  leaders, 
but  also  in   subjecting  to  his  rule  the   minor  Bundela 
Chiefs,  who  from  time  to  time  impugned  his   advancing 
authority  ;  and  his  active  and  aggressive  leadership  had 
resulted  in  greatly  extending  his  dominion.     In  fact  his 
success  in  warfare  had  rendered  insecure  the  position  to 
which    his   superior  prowess   had    exalted    him.     For, 
although  on  the  accession  gf  Bahadur  Shah  as  Emperor 
at  Delhi,  he  had  been  received  at  Court  as  a  loyal  feuda- 
tory, and  had  been  confirmed  in  the  possession  of  all  his 
recently  conquered  territories,  yet  he  could  not  feel  safe 
from  Mahomedan  invasions.     And  good  reason  had  he  to 
fear  for  his  safety.     He  was  very  soon  after  attacked  by 
a  Mahomedan    leader,    who    falling  suddenly  upon  his 


28  IN    THE    HEART    OF   INDIA. 

forces  defeated  them,  and  spread  devastation  far  and  wide 
in  Bundelkhand. 

Under  these  circumstances  it  seemed  to  him  that  the 
wisest  course  he  could  follow  would  be  to  call  in  the  aid 
of  the  Mahratfcas,  who  under  the  first  Peshwa,  Baji  Rao, 
were  at  that  time  advancing  slowly  but  steadily  through 
Khandesh  and  Malwa  towards  Bundelkhand.  This 
step,  as  the  result  showed,  proved  to  be  but  a  choice 
between  two  evils.  The  Mahratta  Peshwa  gladly  avail- 
ed himself  of  an  opportunity  to  obtain  sooner  than  he 
had  hoped  a  foothold  in  the  territory  which  then 
owed  allegiance  to  Chhatarsal,  by  coming  to  the  aid 
of  this  Prince  in  his  time  of  need.  The  combined 
Mahratta  and  Bundela  forces  quickly  hemmed  in  the 
Mahomedan  invader,  who  soon  became  so  far  reduced 
that  he  was  obliged  to  capitulate  and  retire  from  the 
field  where  he  had  been  so  victorious.  Chhatarsal,  when 
he  had  regained  his  possessions,  ceded  a  portion  of  his 
territory  to  the  Peshwa  as  a  revvard  for  his  assistance, 
and  he  subsequently  bequeathed  to  him  one-third  of  his 
dominions  on  the  condition  that  his  heirs  and  successors 
should  be  maintained  by  the  Peshwa  in  the  possession 
of  the  remainder.  The  area  bequeathed  to  the  Peshwa 
included  the  fort  which  the  Bundela  Chief,  Bir  Singh 
Deo,  had  built  on  the  site  which  was  afterwards  included 
in  the  precincts  of  the  city  of  Jhansi. 

Thus  about  the  year  1734  was  gained  the  first  territo- 
rial acquisition  of  the  Mahrattas  in  Bundelkhand. 
Other  more  important  acquisitions  were  soon  made  by 
the  second  Peshwa.  The  first  Peshwa  died  in  1740, 
when  his  son,  Balaji  Baji  Rao,  succeeded  to  the  Mahratta 
throne.  The  new  Peshwa,  apparently  in  utter  disregard 
of  the  agreement  which  his  father  had  entered  into  with 
Chhatarsal,  undertook  fresh  military  operations  in  1742, 


IN    THE    HEART    OF    INDIA.  29 

for  the  purpose  of  extending  his  dominion  in  Bundel- 
khand.  By  his  direction  a  strong  force,  commanded 
by  an  experienced  Mahratta  general,  named  Naru 
Sankar,  was  sent  to  attack  Orcha,  the  Bundela  capi- 
tal, which  was  easily  reduced  to  subjection,  the 
Eaja  making  but  slight  resistance,  knowing  that  it 
was  useless  for  him  to  oppose  so  powerful  a  foe. 
The  Mahratta  general  determined  to  make  the  over- 
throw of  Orcha  complete,  and  the  flourishing  city 
when  given  up  to  him  soon  became  a  scene  of  desola- 
tion. In  che  partitioning  of  the  possessions  of  the 
Orcha  State  the  Eaja  was  permitted  to  retain  a  minor 
portion  of  his  territory,  and  he  set  up  a  new  capital  at 
Tehri,  fifty  miles  south  of  Orcha,  where  his  successors 
have  since  ruled.  By  the  fall  of  the  old  Bundela  capital 
the  Peshwa  acquired  the  major  portion  of  the  lands  be- 
longing to  the  Orcha  State,  including  most  of  the  tract 
which  afterwards  constituted  the  Mahratta  Principality 
of  Jhansi,  and  which  eventually  became  a  possession  of 
the  British. 

Over  the  Peshwa's  newly  acquired  domain  in  Bundel- 
khand  Naru  Sankar  was  appointed  the  first  governor, 
and  he  chose  as  his  head-quarters  the  fort  which  Bir 
Singh  Deo  had  built  at  Balwantnagar.  This  he  consider- 
ably enlarged,  while  at  the  same  time  he  began  to  found 
the  present  city  of  Jhansi,  by  compelling  the  inhabitants 
of  other  towns,  those  of  Orcha  in  particular,  to  leave  their 
homes  and  settle  in  it,  as  well  as  by  encouraging 
Mahrattas  to  come  and  take  up  their  residence  there. 
Under  him  Jhansi  soon  became  an  important  city, 
and  it  maintained  its  prosperity  under  successive 
governors. 

An  Englishman  who  visited  the  place  in  1792  described 
it  thus  : — "  It  is  frequented  by  caravans  from  the  Deccan, 


30  IN    THE    HEART    OF    INDIA. 

which  go  to  Furrukhabad  and  the  other  cities  of  the  Doab. 
Hence  an  afflux  of  wealth,  which  is  augmented  by  a 
consideL'able  trade  in  the  cloths  of  Chanderi,  and  by  the 
inanufactuie  of  l)ows,  arrows  and  spears,  the  principal 
weapons  of  the  Bundeia  tribes." 

The  city  w^iU  was  not  built  until  the  years  between 
1796  and  1814.  It  was  erected  during  the  governorship 
of  Sheo  Rao  Bhao,  and  has  not  been  much  altered  since 
then.  It  is  three  miles  and  fiv3  furlongs  in  extent.  Its 
height  varies  from  eighteen  to  twenty-seven  feet,  and  its 
width  from  six  to  twelve  feet.  It  is  solidly  constructed 
of  granite  stones  and  cement,  the  former  having  been 
quarried  from  the  adjacent  hills.  Bastions  upon  which 
cannon  can  be  mounted,  situated  at  suitable  points,  form 
parts  of  the  wall.  Connected  with  the  wall  on  the  west 
side  are  the  ramparts  of  the  fort.  Entrance  to  the  city 
was  afforded  by  ten  principal  gates  and  eight  smaller 
ones,  all  of  which  for  the  purpose  of  ensuring  the  safety 
of  the  inhabitants  from  danger  from  without  were  closed 
at  night.  All  of  these  gateways  except  three  are  still  used. 
Of  those  which  are  in  use,  some  remain  open  day  and 
night,  while  others  are  regularly  closed  some  time  after 
nightfall  as  of  old.  In  these  days  no  purpose  is  served 
by  closing  at  night  the  gates  of  a  walled  city  in  India. 
But  if  any  object  were  to  be  gained  by  it,  that  object  would 
fail  of  accomplishment  if  some  of  the  gates  were  closed, 
while  others  were  left  open.  This  is  but  one  of  innumer- 
able cases  everywhere  and  'constantly  in  evidence  in 
this  land,  showing  the  inveterate  force  and  recognized 
authority  of  long  established  custom  upon  the  minds  of  the 
people  of  India.  Especially  do  we  observe  this,  and  have 
continual  occasion  to  lament  it,  in  religious  matters.  As 
long  as  the^wall  of  a  city  is  regarded  as  a  thing  of  utiUty, 
it  must  needs  be  kept  in  repair.     And  lil^ewise  the  more 


IN   THE    HEART    OF   INDIA.  81 

devoted  adherents  of  a  decaying  religion  feel  it  necessary 
to  restore  and  buttress  it  to  the  utmost  of  their  ability. 
The  ancient  wall  of  Hinduism  has  in  these  modern  times 
shown  marked  signs  of  weakness  :  hence  the  efforts  which 
its  upholders  are  wnth  so  much  assiduity  putting  forth  to 
repair  it. 

During  seventy-five  years  Jhansi  continued  to  be 
ruled  by  governors  appointed  from  time  to  time  by  the 
Peshwa.  But  when  the  Peshwa's  power  began  to  w^ane, 
as  was  the  case  toward  the  end  of  the  eighteenth  century, 
the  governors  at  Jhansi  ruled  more  Hke  independent 
chiefs  than  as  viceroys.  This  was  the  state  of  things  at 
the  time  when  the  British  appeared  upon  the  scene  in 
Bundelkhand.  Sheo  Eao  Bhao,  whose  term  of  office  as 
governor  extended  over  a  period  of  twenty  years,  was  in 
power  at  the  advent  of  the  British,  and  by  grant  dated 
February  4,  1804,  was  promised  their  protection  under 
certain  conditions,  thoughhe  was  still  held  to  be  nominally 
subject  to  the  authority  of  the  Peshwa.  This  arrange- 
ment was  confirmed  by  treaty  in  October  1806. 

How  at  this  early  period  the  British  came  to  be  in 
Bundelkhand  must  now  be  told.  In  the  wonderful  evo- 
lution of  events  under  Divine  Providence  it  occurred  that 
the  Mahrattas,  who  at  the  solicitation  of  Chhatarsal  had 
interfered  on  his  behalf  against  a  Mahomedan  invader, 
and  had  as  a  reward  for  their  services  obtained  a  portion 
of  territor}^  from  the  Bundela  Chief,  and  from  this 
beginning  had  soon  attained  to  the  sovereignty  of 
Bundelkhand,  were  in  their  turn  the  means  of  opening 
to  the  British  the  door  to  political  supremacy  in  this  part 
of  Central  India.  It  came  about  on  this  wise  : — On 
account  of  bitter  enmities  and  irreconcilable  dissensions 
among  the  Mahratta  Chiefs  the  time  when  peace  could 
again    be  established  between  them  seemed  forever  to 


32  IN    THE    HEART    OF   INDIA. 

have  passed.  Frequent  conflicts  were  occurring  between 
the  Peshwa  and  his  powerful  lieutenants,  Holkar  and 
Scindia,  as  well  as  between  the  latter  potentates,  whose 
rivalries  were  incessant.  In  1802  the  Peshwa  was 
driven  from  his  capital  by  Holkar,  and  took  refuge  in 
British  territory.  In  his  discomfiture  he  was  led  to 
enter  into  negotiations  with  the  British,  which  issued  in 
the  treaty  of  Bassein,  signed  on  December  31,  1802, 
whereby  the  British  undertook  to  restore  him  to  his 
throne  at  Poona,  on  condition  of  his  entering  into  alli- 
ance with  them  and  receiving  at  his  capital  a  British 
military  force  sufficient  to  ensure  his  safety,  the  Peshwa 
at  the  same  time  agreeing  to  cede  to  the  British  a  portion 
of  territory,  the  revenue  of  which  amounted  to  2,600,000 
rupees,  for  the  maintenance  of  this  force.  Accordingly 
an  army  was  organized  under  General  Arthur  Wellesley 
(afterwards  the  Duke  of  Wellington)  for  the  purpose  of 
recovering  the  Mahratta  capital  for  the  Peshwa.  Poona 
was  taken  on  April  20, 1803  without  the  firing  of  a  single 
shot,  Holkar  deeming  it  the  part  of  wisdom  for  him  to 
retreat  before  the  advancing  British  force,  and  on  May 
13th  the  Peshwa  was  again  established  in  his  royal 
palace,  where  as  a  protected  sovereign  he  might  have 
ended  his  days  in  peace,  but  ere  long  he  became  the 
centre  of  intrigue  against  his  protectors,  and  before  fifteen 
years  had  passed  an  attempt  was  made  by  a  powerful 
Mahratta  force  to  eject  the  British  from  their  capital. 
They  were  defeated,  however,  and  the  Peshwa  fled  preci- 
pitately from  his  capital  never  again  to  return.  The 
outcome  of  this  perfidy  on  the  part  of  Baji  Rao  was  his 
dethronement  and  the  annexation  of  the  greater  part  of 
his  dominions.  Thus  did  the  British  gain  the  virtual 
supremacy  in  all  the  country  ruled  by  the  Mahratta 
Chiefs,  though  Holkar  and  Scindia  had  yet  to  be  subdued. 


IN   THE    HEART    OF   INDIA.  83 

During  the  time  that  General  Wellesley  was  operating  in 
the  Deccan  (for  much  still  remained  to  be  accomplished 
there),  the  British  Commander-in-Chief,  General  Lake, 
undertook  the  subjugation  first  of  Scindia,  and  after- 
wards of  Holkar,  and  succeeded  in  effectually  break- 
ing the  power  of  these  Chiefs  in  Central  India  and 
in  the  North,  where  henceforth  the  British  remained  in 
paramount  authority.  The  "Middle  Land,"  as  that 
<;ountry  was  formerly  called  which  afterwards  became 
known  under  the  British  as  the  North-West  Provinces, 
<;ame  at  that  time  under  British  rule.  It  fell  to  the  lot 
of  the  successors  of  Lord  Wellesley — Lord  Minto  and 
the  Marquess  of  Hastings — to  pacificate  these  territories 
which  had  been  brought  under  British  control,  and 
-especially  to  the  latter,  who  himself  took  the  field  as 
Commander-in-Chief  of  the  British  forces,  was  due  the 
credit  of  freeing  fmm  hordes  of  armed  ruffians  the  whole 
region  which  had  long  suffered  from  anarchy  and  the 
most  cruel  spoliation.  The  magnitude  of  this  under- 
taking may  be  inferred  from  the  fact  that  Lord  Hastings 
assembled  for  the  purpose  the  strongest  British  army 
which  up  to  that  time  had  been  seen  in  India,  number- 
ing one  hundred  and  twenty  thousand  men.  Lord 
Hastings,  like  Lord  Cornwallis,  who  had  been  Governor- 
General  of  India  before  him,  had  gone  through  the 
American  war  before  coming  to  this  part  of  the  world. 

A  few  months  before  the  outbreak  against  the  British 
at  Poona  in  1817  the  Peshwa  had  ceded  to  the  British 
East  India  Company  his  claim  of  sovereignty  in  Bundel- 
khand,  and  in  consequence  of  this  it  had  become  necessary 
for  the  British  to  make  fresh  arrangements  with  those 
who  were  in  authority  there,  including  the  Mahratta 
Chief  at  Jhansi.  The  Mahratta  Governor,  Sheo  Eao 
Bhao,  had  died  in  1814,  and  had  bequeathed  his  fights 


34  IN    THE    HEART    OF   INDIA. 

to  his  grandson,  Ram  Chand  Rao.  The  British  East 
India  Company  by  treaty,  dated  November  18,  1817, 
acknowledged  the  succession  of  Ram  Chand  Rao,  his 
heirs  and  successors,  as  hereditary  rulers. 

Thus  did  a  descendant  of  one  who  had  been  a  servant 
of  a  king  become  a  reigning  Prince,  and  the  first  of  a 
line  of  hereditary  Princes.  And  thus  through  various 
vicissitudes  in  days  gone  by,  many  heads  of  royal  houses 
in  India  obtained  their  prerogatives  as  independent  chiefs ; 
and  at  the  present  time  their  descendants  enjoy  such 
hereditary  titles  as  Raja  or  Maharaja,  Gaekwar,  Nizam 
or  Nawab,  or  whatever  it  may  be.  At  one  time,  as 
Meredith  Townsendhas  well  said,  "  the  whole  continent 
(of  India)  was  open  as  a  prize  to  the  strong.  A  brigand, 
for  Sivaji  (the  greatest  of  the  Mahratta  kings)  was  no 
better,  became  a  mighty  sovereign.  A  herdsman  built 
a  monarchy  in  Baroda.  A  body-servant  (slipper- bearer)- 
founded  the  dynasty  of  Scindia.  A  corporal  cut  his  way 
to  the  independent  crown  of  Mysore.  The  first  Nizam 
was  only  an  officer  of  the  Emperor.  Runjeet  Singh's 
father  was  what  Europeans  would  call  a  prefect."  The 
writer  remembers  that  when  visiting  Jeypore,  he  was 
introduced  to  the  Prime-minister  of  that  State  in  his 
magnificent  drawing-room,  and  that  his  friend  after  the 
interview  w^ith  that  high  functionary  remarked  concern- 
ing him  that  he  had  once  been  a  camel-driver.  Many  of 
those  who  rose  to  high  places  in  the  India  of  former 
times  were  men  of  no  ordinary  ability,  and  doubtless  it  is 
true  that  many  of  those  who  in  these  modern  times  come 
to  the  front  in  this  land  owe  their  advancement  largely, 
if  not  entirely,  to  their  individual  merits. 

An  important  service  rendered  to  the  British  East 
India  Company  by  Ram  Chand  Rao,  which  was  the 
occasion   of  the  bestowment  upon  him  of  a  royal  title. 


IN    THE   HEART   OF   INDIA.  85 

deserves  mention.  In  1825  the  siege  of  Bhurtpore  was 
in  progress  under  Lord  Combermere,  in  consequence  of 
which  great  excitement  prevailed  throughout  Central 
India.  During  this  disturbed  state  of  affairs,  a  rebel 
chief,  named  Nana  Pundit,  had  collected  a  considerable 
force,  and  was  threatening  an  attack  upon  the  British 
town  of  Kalpi.  On  being  apprised  of  this,  the  British 
Political  Agent,  Mr.  Ainslie,  sent  a  request  to  the  Jhansi 
Chief  for  aid,  and  Ram  Chand  Rao  immediately  des- 
patched four  hundred  cavalry,  one  thousand  infan- 
try and  some  artillerymen  with  two  guns.  These  arrived 
in  time  to  prevent  Kalpi  from  being  captured  by  the 
rebels,  and  a  future  substantial  result  of  this  prompt 
action  in  aid  of  the  British  was  that  confidence  in  the 
success  of  the  British  cause  was  restored  among  the 
people  of  that  region.  This  important  military  service 
rendered  to  the  British  East  India  Company  was  ex- 
pressly referred  to  in  the  highest  terms  of  commendation 
and  gratitude  by  the  Governor-General,  Lord  William 
Bentinck,  at  a  great  durbar  held  in  the  palace  at  Jhansi 
on  the  19th  December,  1832  ;  on  which  occasion  the 
title  of  Raja  was  conferred  upon  the  ruler  of  Jhansi.  At 
this  same  time  the  Jhansi  Chief  asked  and  obtained  per- 
mission to  have  the  British  flag  carried  before  him  as 
a  token  of  his  loyalty,  and  to  append  to  the  title  just 
bestowed  upon  him  the  appellation — "  Devoted  servant 
of  the  glorious  King  of  England."  Thenceforth  amongst 
the  insignia  of  his  royal  house  was  treasured  a  Union 
Jack  of  silk,  presented  to  him  by  the  British  Governor- 
General. 

The  story  of  the  Jha.nsi  Government  under  the  Rajas 
is  short,  and  it  is  for  the  most  part  one  of  misrule  and 
consequent  deterioration.  Their  Government  came  to 
an  end  in   twenty- one  years.     Raja  Ram  Chand  Rao's- 


36  IN   THE    HEART  OF   INDIA. 

revenues,  owing  to  mismanagement,  became  greatly 
diminished,  and  the  weakness  of  his  administration  was 
shown  by  the  fact  that  the  neighboring  landlords  could 
at  their  will  overrun  his  territory  and  plunder  his 
villages.  Not  unfrequently  were  whole  villages  burned, 
causing  their  inhabitants  to  be  totally  ruined.  Earn 
ChandEao,  the  first  Eajaof  Jhansi,  died  without  issue  in 
1835,  and  was  succeeded  by  his  uncle  Eagonath  Eao, 
second  son  of  Sheo  Eao  Bhao.  From  maladministration 
his  revenues  declined,  and  becoming  deeply  in  debt 
through  extravagance  and  debauchery  he  was  obliged  to 
mortgage  some  of  his  villages  to  the  Gwalior  and  Orcha 
States.  He  died  without  issue  in  1838,  his  rule  having 
been  made  unquiet  by  opposition  shown  to  him  profess- 
edly on  the  ground  of  his  being  a  leper.  He  was 
succeeded  by  his  brother  Gangadhar  Eao,  third  son  of 
Sheo  Eao  Bhao.  The  Government  of  the  State  was  not 
however  handed  over  to  him  at  once,  the  British 
Governor-General  deeming  it  advisable  on  account  of  the 
distracted  state  of  the  Principality  that  his  Agent  in 
Bundelkhand  should  assume  the  administration  tempor- 
arily. The  revenues  under  British  management  were  in 
a  single  year  considerably  more  than  doubled.  In  1842 
the  state  of  the  country  was  such  that  it  seemed 
judicious  to  place  the  Government  in  the  hands  of  the 
legitimate  heir  to  the  Principality.  The  administration 
of  Gangadhar  Eao  was  an  improvement  on  that  of  his 
predecessors.  He  gave  proof  of  his  taking  a  personal 
interest  in  his  estate  by  giving  attention  in  some  degree 
to  matters  of  public  benefit,  and  was  therefore  popular 
as  a  ruler.  He  died  childless  in  November  1853,  and  there 
was  no  male  heir  to  succeed  him.  He  was  the  last  of  the 
Mahrattas  who  held  the  reins  of  Government  in  Jhansi. 
On  the  death  of  this  Chief   it   devolved   upon   Lord 


IN    THE    HEART   OF    INDIA.  37 

Dalhousie,  who  was  then  the  British  Governor- General 
in  India,  to  decide  a  very  grave  question  in  regard  to 
the  Jhansi  Principality.  Gangadhar  Eao  on  the  day 
before  his  death  had  adopted  as  his  successor  a  youth 
distantly  related  to  him,  and  the  question  to  be  settled 
was  whether  in  right,  and  in  justice  to  all  the  interests 
involved  in  the  case,  this  adoption  should  be  sanctioned 
by  the  Supreme  Government.  The  decision  arrived  at 
by  the  British  East  India  Company's  most  able  Kepre- 
sentative  was  that  the  adoption  could  not  be  allowed  to 
stand,  and  consequently  that  the  Jhansi  State  lapsed  to 
the  Company. 


VI. 

THE  MUTINY  IN  JHANSI,  AND  THE  REVENGE 
OF  THE  RANI  LAKSHMI  BAI. 

Lakshmi  Bai,  the  widow  of  the  deceased  Kaja,  famous 
as  the  Rani  of  Jhansi,  w^as  greatly  incensed  at  the  rejec- 
tion by  Lord  Dalhousie  and  his  Council  of  w^iat  she 
regarded  as  an  indisputable  right,  and  she  most  strenu- 
ously protested  that  the  action  of  the  British  Government 
in  disallowing  the  claim  which  she  had  urged  on  behalf 
of  the  lad  whom  her  husband  had  adopted,  thereby 
erasing  Jhansi  from  the  list  of  native  States,  was  unjust 
and  indefensible.  The  terms  of  the  treaty  which  the 
British  East  India  Company  made  with  Ram  Chand  Rao 
at  the  time  w^hen  the  title  of  Raja  of  Jhansi  was  con- 
ferred upon  him,  constituted  his  heirs  and  successors 
hereditary  rulers  of  the  territory  governed  by  the 
Peshwa's  viceroys  since  the  founding  of  Jhansi  as  a 
Mahratta  Principality ;  and  the  Rani's  contention,  which 
she  put  forward  in  her  petition  to  the  British  Governor- 
General,  was  that  the  original  Persian  terms  used  in  the 
treaty,  and  interpreted  heirs  and  successors,  meant  not 
merely  heirs  of  the  body  or  collateral  heirs,  but  successors 
in  general,  and  properly  implied  that  any  party  whom 
the  Raja  adopted  as  his  son,  to  perform  the  funeral  rites 
over  his  body,  necessary  according  to  Hindu  law  to 
insure  beatitude  in  a  future  world,  would  be  acknowledged 


IN   THE   HEART   OF   INDIA.  39 

by  the  British  Government  as  his  successor,  and  as  one 
through  whom  the  name  and  interests  of  the  family 
might  be  preserved. 

The  Kani's  protestations,  however,  were  of  no  avail. 
The  Governor-General  had  fully  considered  the  case  in 
all  its  aspects,  and  his  decision  could  not  be  revoked. 
None  of  Lord  Dalhousie's  acts  gave  to  the  hostile  critics 
•of  his  policy  (and  there  were  many  such  critics  both  out 
of  India  and  in  it)  greater  offence  than  the  annexation 
of  Jhansi.  But  those  whose  sympathies  were  with  the 
Princess,  whose  claim  had  been  set  aside,  were  not  able 
to  take  so  broad  and  far-reaching  a  view  of  this  subject 
as  had  been  taken  by  the  British  Statesman,  who  not 
only  felt  most  deeply  his  responsibility  for  the  welfare 
of  the  people  of  Jhansi,  but  who  looked  most  carefully  at 
the  legal  features  of  the  case  both  from  the  standpoint  of 
the  claimant  to  the  rulership  of  the  State  and  from  that 
of  the  Over -lord.  There  can  be  no  doubt  that  Lord 
Dalhousie  had  a  technical  and  absolute  right  to  do  what 
he  did,  but  at  the  same  time  there  is  room  for  a  difference 
•of  opinion  in  regard  to  the  political  wisdom  of  his  action. 
Judged  from  the  immediate  results  which  followed  from 
the  course  which  he  pursued,  his  policy  was  disastrous, 
but  how  can  one  who  has  regard  to  the  benefits  of  a 
beneficent  Government  now  enjoyed  by  the  inhabitants 
of  this  part  of  India  rightly  blame  Lord  Dalhousie  for 
doing  what  he  considered  at  the  time  to  be  right  and  for 
the  best  interests  of  those  on  whose  behalf  he  was  called 
to  act?  Of  Lord  Dalhousie's  annexations  that  one  which 
was  perhaps  more  severely  criticised  than  any  other,  is, 
if  I  mistake  not,  likely  to  be  regarded  with  less  and  less 
disfavor,  as  the  standpoint  from  which  it  shall  be  viewed 
shall  grow  more  and  more  distant  by  lapse  of  time. 

We  cannot,  however,  blame  the  Rani  for  taking  the 


40  IN   THE    HEART   OF  INDIA. 

view  of  the  case  which  she  did,  as  Lord  Dalhousie's 
decision  in  reference  to  Jhansi  could  not  but  seem  to  her 
an  act  of  the  grossest  injustice.  She  looked  upon  the 
rejection  of  her  claim  as  a  personal  dethronement,  for 
had  the  petition  which  she  pressed  upon  the  Governor- 
General  been  granted,  she  would  in  all  probability  have 
been  allowed  to  act  as  Kegent  until  the  boy  chosen  by 
the  Eaja  to  be  his  successor  should  become  of  age,  and 
even  after  the  installation  of  the  new  Eaja  she  would 
have  remained  in  a  position  of  commanding  influence. 
Her  deprivation  could  not  therefore  but  seem  to  her  to 
be  very  great. 

The  Eani  felt  exceedingly  indignant  on  account  of  the 
smallness  of  the  annuity,  £6,000,  which  had  been  as- 
signed to  her  by  the  British  authorities,  and  at  first  she 
refused  it.  Afterwards,  however,  she  consented  to  accept 
it.  She  was  still  further  aggrieved  because  after  the 
property  which  had  belonged  to  her  husband,  valued  at 
1,000,000  rupees,  had  been  made  over  to  her  by  the  British 
Government,  the  Lieutenant-Governor  directed  that  a  sum 
of  money  sufficientto  liquidate  her  husband's  debts  should 
be  deducted  from  her  annual  allowance.  Against  this 
the  Eani  earnestly  protested,  and  Sir  Eobert  Hamilton, 
the  Governor-General's  Agent  in  Central  India,  urged  on 
Mr.  Colvin  the  advisability  of  pursuing  a  generous 
policy,  but  the  Lieutenant-Governor's  action  was  in  keep- 
ing with  the  careless  indifference  with  which  the  Supreme 
Governmenc  regarded  the  Eani's  anger  and  her  remon- 
strances. Is  it  any  wonder  that  she  brooded  over  her 
wrongs,  and  was  eager  to  avenge  them  ? 

Again,  she  and  her  people  felt  that  insult  was  being 
added  to  injury  by  the  slaughter  of  kine  (sacred  in  the 
estimation  of  Hindus),  which  was  as  a  matter  of  course 
introduced  by   the    British   into   their   newly   acquired 


IN    THE    HEART   OF   INDIA.  41 

territory.  Besides,  the  wholesome  regulations  in  regard 
to  sanitation,  inaugurated  hy  the  new  rulers,  were  also 
extremely  irritating  to  many  who  objected  to  any  re- 
strictions upon  their  practices  even  when  the  public 
health  was  endangered. 

For  a  time  the  Eani  took  no  pains  to  conceal  from  the 
British  the  bitter  resentment  and  deadly  hatred  which 
she  cherished  towa.rds  them,  for  she  could  not  but 
regard  them  as  intruders  and  usurpers,  but  at  length  she 
adopted  the  policy  of  remaining  reticent  in  their  presence 
regarding  the  wrongs  which  she  felt  herself  and  her 
people  to  be  enduring,  resolved  to  bide  patiently  her 
time  for  revenge.  She  had  not  long  to  wait,  for  in  the 
short  space  of  three  and  a  half  years  her  opportunity 
arrived.  During  the  greater  part  of  this  period,  as  far  as 
appearances  went,  she  was  on  terms  of  good-will  with 
the  British  officers  at  Jhansi,  for  as  an  Oriental,  even 
when  fierce  wrath  burned  within  her,  she  was  able  to 
set  bounds  to  her  temper  and  even  to  exhibit  friendli- 
ness, when  to  do  this  required  her  to  put  an  immense 
restraint  upon  her  real  feeling.  Among  her  own  people^ 
however,  she  did  not  remain  silent  nor  inactive,  but  on 
the  contrary  put  forth  every  effort  to  fan  the  fire  of  hatred 
towards  the  British  which  glowed  in  their  hearts.  To 
arouse  them  to  the  highest  pitch  of  feeling  she  needed 
only  to  assert,  as  she  was  in  the  habit  of  doing,  that  the 
foreigners  were  seeking  to  destroy  their  religion. 

The  Rani,  possessed  of  a  powerful  intellect  and 
masculine  energy,  and  fired  with  indomitable  resolution 
and  blood-thirsty  vindictiveness,  proved  to  be  a  woman 
"whom  it  was  dangerous  to  provoke.  She  was,  moreover, 
full  of  the  fire  of  youth,  her  age  probably  not  exceeding 
five  and  twenty  years.  She  was  comely  in  person  and 
tall  of  stature,  and  was  not  backward  to  show  herself  to 


4-2  IN    THE    HEART    OF    INDIA. 

the  muUifcude.     She  was  m  fact  iti  all  respects  fitted  to 
be  another  Joan  of  Arc,  which  indeed  she  did  become. 

The  following  record  of  occurrences  at  Jhansi  in  the 
summer  of  1857  is  made  after  collating  and  amalgama- 
ting the  accounts  given  by  Sir  John  W.  Kaye  and  Col. 
Malleson  in  their  histories  of  the  Indian  Mutiny.  It 
was  found  that  these  accounts  were  mutually  supplement- 
ary, and  a  comparison  of  their  statements  has  been  of 
service  in  enabling  the  writer  to  eliminate  a  few  errors. 
In  some  instances  the  language  of  the  above  authors  has 
been  retained. 

To  enable  the  reader  to  understand  the  situation  of 
the  British  at  Jhansi,  it  is  necessary  to  state  that  the 
"  Civil  Station  ",  as  that  quarter  is  called  where  the  Civil 
officers  and  other  Europeans- reside,  is  immediately  out- 
side the  city  wall  toward  the  south.  The  bungalows 
occupied  by  Capt.  Alexander  Skene,  who  was  the  political 
and  administrative  officer  in  this  part  of  Bundelkhand, 
and  of  Capt.  F.  D.  Gordon,  who  was  the  magistrate  of 
the  Jhansi  district,  were  svithin  ten  minutes  drive  of  the 
fort  and  palace  inside  the  native  city.  The  officers  and 
clerks  (Europeans)  in  Government  offices,  numbered  in 
all  twenty-two,  while  the  whole  number  of  British  and 
Eurasian  residents  in  the  "  Civil  Station  "  was  sixty, 
comprising  twenty-six  men,  fifteen  women  and  nineteen 
children.  Beyond  the  "  Civil  Station"  is  situated  the 
British  Cantonment.  The  garrison  at  the  time  of  the 
mutiny  in  Jhansi  in  1857  consisted  of  a  wing  of  the 
Twelfth  Bengal  Native  Infantry,  comprising  five  com- 
panies, the  head-quarters  and  right  wing  of  the  Four- 
teenth Irregular  Cavalry  and  a  detachment  of  Foot 
Artillery.  'J'he  garrison  was  commanded  by  Capt. 
Dunlop  of  the  Twelfth  Native  Infantry.  The  other 
British  officers  were  Lieut.  Taylor  of  the  Twelfth  Native 


IN    THE    HEART    OF    INDIA.  43 

Infantry,  Lieut.  Campbell  of  the  Fourteenth  Irregular 
Cavalry,  Quarter-master  Sergeant  Ne\yton,  who  had  with 
him  his  wife  and  two  children,  and  Conductor  Eeilly- 
Of  the  British  there  were  in  the  Cantonment  but  these 
eight  souls.  Within  the  Cantonment  and  very  near  to 
the  "  Civil  Station"  is  a  walled  enclosure  which  was  occu- 
pied by  the  Artillery,  and  contained  the  magazine  and 
treasure-chest.  This  because  built  in  the  form  of  a  star 
was  called  the  "  star  fort." 

Early  in  1857  signs  of  the  great  Sepoy  Mutiny,  which 
was  about  to  break  out  and  severely  test  the  resources  of 
the  British  Government,  began  to  appear  in  Bengal  and 
in  the  North.  The  news  of  disaffection  in  the  native 
regiments  was  spread  far  and  wide,  and  when  it  reached 
the  ears  of  the  deposed  Rani  of  Jhansi,  it  was  hailed  by 
her  with  the  greatest  joy.  On  the  10th  of  May  occurred 
the  rising  in  the  Cantonment  of  Meerut,  and  this  was 
followed  on  the  next  day  by  the  outbreak  at  Delhi- 
Great  alarm  was  created  in  most  places  in  North  and 
Central  India  as  the  tidings  of  these  occurrences  were 
received,  and  the  consternation  increased  as  outbreaks 
in  other  places  followed.  It  was  strange  that  in  Jhansi, 
which  had  been  such  a  hot-bed  of  discontent,  little  or  no 
fear  from  the  sepoys  was  apprehended  by  the  British 
officers  either  in  the  Civil  Station  or  the  Cantonment. 
They  remained  strangely  unapprehensive  of  danger,  and 
ignorant  of  what  was  taking  place  in  their  very  midst. 

The  Rani,  W'hose  hopes  for  the  future  were  brightened 
by  the  news  received  from  Meerut  and  Delhi,  had  at 
once  hurried  off  from  the  doors  of  her  palace  confi- 
dential messengers  towards  the  sepoy  barracks,  and 
these  brought  back  reports  corresponding  to  her  ex- 
pectations. Thus  her  intrigue  with  the  troops  in  the 
British  garrison  began.     With  true  Mahratta  cunning 


44  IN    THE    HEART    OF    INDIA. 

she  sought  to  lull  the  British  officers  of  the  garrison  and 
district  into  a  feeling  of  security,  while  plotting  for  their 
overthrow.  She  gained  her  end  by  pretending  that  she 
was  in  danger  from  the  enemies  of  the  British,  thus  inti- 
mating that  her  interests  and  safety  w^ere  bound  up  with 
the  British  cause.  In  Capt.  Skene,  through  whom  chief- 
ly her  designs  were  prosecuted,  she  found  pliable 
material  to  work  upon.  So  impressed  was  he  with  her 
sincerity  and  loyalty  to  the  British,  that  he  readily 
acceded  to  her  request  for  permission  to  enlist  a  body  of 
armed  men  for  her  own  protection  from  any  attack  of 
the  sepoys!  She  did  indeed  desire  to  make  provision  for 
her  own  defence,  but  her  real  object  was  successfully 
disguised.  No  sooner  had  she  obtained  permission  ta 
provide  for  her  own  safety  than  she  began  to  rally  round 
her  the  old  soldiers  of  the  State,  and  unobserved  by  th& 
British  officers,  she  had  the  heavy  guns  unearthed  which 
had  been  buried  at  the  time  of  her  husband's  death. 
"While  all  this  busy  preparation  was  being  made  for  the 
annihilation  of  those  whom  she  was  professing  to  regard 
as  her  friends,  Capt.  Skene  was  reporting  to  the- 
Lieutenant-Governor  at  Agra  his  entire  satisfaction  with 
the  state  of  things  at  Jhansi.  As  late  as  the  18th  of  May 
he  wrote,  "I  do  not  think  there  is  any  cause  for  alarm 
about  this  neighborhood.  The  troops  here  continue 
staunch,  and  express  their  unbounded  abhorrence  of  the 

atrocities  committed  at  Meerut  and  Delhi I  am 

going  on  the  principle  of  showing  perfect  confidence,, 
and  I  am  quite  sure  I  am  right."  On  the  30th  of  May  he 
wrote,  "  All  continues  quiet  here,  and  the  troops  staunch^ 
but  there  is  of  course  a  great  feehng  of  uneasiness  among 
the  moneyed  men  of  the  town,  and  the  Thakurs  (descend- 
ants of  Bundelafree-booters)  who  have  never  been  well- 
affected  towards  any  government,  are  beginning,  it  is 


IN   THE    HEART    OB'    INDIA.  45 

said,  to  talk  of  doing  something.  All  will  settle  down 
here,  I  feel  perfectly  certain,  on  receipt  of  intelligence  of 
success.'*  Again  on  the  3rd  of  June,  "We  are  all  safe 
here  as  yet." 

Capt.  Dunlop  and  his  fellow-officers  of  the  garrison 
were  similarly  trustful.  The  commandant  placed  special 
trust  in  his  Irregular  Cavalry.  The  bungalows  of  some 
British  officials  at  Jhansi  had  been  burned,  but  such  an 
occurrence,  which  was  the  invariable  precursor  of  a 
rising  of  the  sepoys,  did  not  disturb  Skene  and  Dunlop. 
A  fire  which  occurred  on  June  1st  was  attributed  to  ac- 
cident. At  last  when  unmistakable  signs  of  an  outbreak 
appeared  on  the  5th  of  June*,  the  civilians  thought  it 
prudent  to  betake  themselves  to  the  fort  in  the  city. 

On  that  day  a  company  of  the  Twelfth  Native  Infantry, 
led  by  a  native  sergeant,  and  cheered  on  by  the  native 
gunners  of  the  battery,  marched  into  the  star  fort  and 
announced  their  inteotion  to  hold  it  as  their  own.  On 
hearing  of  this  Capt.  Dunlop  rushed  to  the  parade 
ground,  accompanied  by  his  officers.  The  remaining 
four  companies  professed  to  be  highly  indignant  at 
the  conduct  of  their  insubordinate  comrades  who  had 
acted  so  audaciously,  and  they  and  the  cavalry 
troops  declared  emphatically  that  they  would  stand 
by  their  officers.  On  parade  the  next  morning  they 
repeated  their  protestations  of  loyalty.  Capt.  Dunlop 
began  to  prepare  measures  for  bringing  the  revolted 
company  to  reason,  or  to  subdue  them  in  case  they 
would  not  yield  to  persuasion,  and  while  so  engaged  he 
was  visited  by  Captains  Skene  and  Gordon  from  the  fort. 
After  the  interview  with  Dunlop,  Skene  returned  at 
once  to  the  fort,  but  Gordon  breakfasted  in  his  own 
bungalow,  and  before  returning  to  the  fort,  wrote  letters 
to  the  Tehri  and  Datia  Kajas  and  to  the  Rao  of  Gursarai 


46  IN    THE    HEAllT    OF    INDIA. 

for  assistance.  No  replies  were  received  from  any  of 
these  Chiefs,  although  they  were  near  at  hand,  and  could 
easily  have  responded  to  the  call  for  help.  Capt.  Dunlop 
wrote  some  letters  after  Skene  and  Gordon  left  him,  and 
posted  them  himself.  On  his  way  hack  from  the  post- 
office  he  was  shot  by  his  own  men.  About  this  time  the 
Eani,  escorted  by  her  new  levies,  and  accompanied  by  a 
crowd  of  people,  among  whom  were  her  chief  adherents, 
with  two  banners  borne  aloft,  went  in  procession  from 
the  palace  to  the  Cantonment.  After  she  and  the  rabble 
which  accompanied  her  had  issued  from  the  Saiyar  gate 
(the  principal  gate  of  the  city),  a  Mahomedan  Mulla, 
named  Ahsan  Ah,  called 'all  true  believers  to  prayers. 
This  was  the  prearranged  signal  for  the  rising  of  the 
troops  in  the  Cantonment,  and  accordingly  a  ready 
response  was  given  to  it.  First  the  mutineers  sought  to 
destroy  the  officers  who  were  still  in  the  Cantonment, 
and  they  succeeded  in  putting  all  to  death  except  two. 
One  of  these,  according  to  one  account,  was  Lieut.  Taylor 
and  according  to  another,  was  Lieut.  Campbell,  who  when 
fired  upon  was  severely  wounded,  but  nevertheless  was 
able  to  escape  on  horseback  to  the  fort.  The  other  was 
Conductor  Eeilly,  who  escaped  to  a  neighboring  town, 
and  from  there  eventually  made  his  way  to  a  place  of 
safety.  Lieut.  Turnbull  of  the  survey  department  w^as  in 
the  Cantonment  at  the  time  of  the  outbreak,  and  was 
killed,  but  his  assailants  paid  dearly  for  his  death. 
There  were  two  native-  corporals  who  did  not  join  the 
rebels,  and  they  also  were  slain. 

When  the  Cantonment  had  been  cleared  of  the  British 
officers,  the  mutineers  proceeded  to  the  large  district  jail, 
and  released  the  prisoners.  The  court-house  was  then 
burned.  Then  followed  the  burning  of  bungalows  in  the 
Cantonment.     After  this  the  mutineers  went  to  the  city 


IN    THE   HEAKT    OF    INDIA.  47 

and  made  it  their  first  object  to  lay  hold  upon  all  natives 
who  had  been  in  the  service  of  the  British,  especially 
those  who  were  known  to  have  rendered  them  assistance 
during  the  occurrence  of  recent  events,  but  it  is  not 
known  what  treatment  such  persons  received. 

The  sad  story  of  the  fate  of  those  who  had  taken 
refuge  in  the  city  fort  remains  to  be  told.  Captains 
Skene  and  Gordon  had  done  what  they  could  with  the 
slender  resources  at  their  command  to  arrange  for  the 
defence  of  themselves,  and  their  fellow-refugees.  The 
few  rifles  which  had  been  taken  to  the  fort  had  been 
distributed,  and  positions  had  been  assigned  to  different 
individuals.  The  ladies  were  told  off  to  cast  bullets  and 
to  prepare  food.  Piles  of  stones  had  been  heaped  up 
behind  the  fort  gates  to  prevent  them  from  being  forced 
open.  Having  made  such  preparations  as  these,  the 
little  company  awaited  with  anxiety  the  expected  onset 
of  the  i^ebels. 

A  feeble  attack  was  made  w^itli  only  one  gun  on  the 
afternoon  of  the  6th.  As  the  rebels  approached  the  fort, 
they  were  received  with  a  well-directed  fire,  w^hich 
caused  them  to  fall  back  in  confusion.  Their  firing, 
which  was  without  effect,  was  kept  ap  until  nightfall. 

The  mutineers  then  withdrew,  leaving  a  strong  guard 
of  the  Eani's  followers  to  prevent  the  escape  of  any  one 
from  the  fort  during  the  night.  It  is  said  that  the  be- 
leaguered party  meditated  a  flight  that  night,  but  day- 
light approaching  before  they  had  completed  their  plan, 
the  attempt  was  abandoned.  On  the  following  night, 
however,  one  of  the  party  (a  Mr.  Crawford)  succeeded 
in  making  good  his  escape. 

On  the  evening  of  the  6th  a  meeting  was  held  of  the 
mutineer  leaders  and  delegates  from  the  Kani  to  settle 
the  question  of  the  future  Government,  and  to  decide  as 


48  IN    THE    HEART   OF   INDIA. 

to  what  should  be  done  with  the  British  officers  and 
other  Europeans  in  the  fort.  Some  were  in  favor  of 
letting  them  all  go  away  in  safety,  but  this  suggestion 
was  opposed  and  overruled  by  a  Mahomedan,  named 
Bakhshish  Ali,  the  ex-superintendent  of  the  jail,  and 
their  destruction  was  decided  on.  The  question  of  the 
Government  was  not  settled  at  this  time,  as  the  Rani's 
representatives  and  the  mutineers  could  not  come  to 
terms.  The  mutineer  party  had  bethought  themselves 
of  a  clever  piece  of  diplomacy.  Having  an  eye  to  ex- 
tensive personal  profit  by  the  overthrow  of  the  British 
administration,  they  thought  to  further  their  design  by 
creating  competition  among  possible  rivals  for  the  ruler- 
ship,  hoping  by  this  means  to  extort  from  the  Rani  a 
good  price  for  restoring  her  to  authority.  At  Unao,  a 
town  live  miles  from  Jhansi,  resided  an  illegitimate  rela- 
tion of  the  late  Raja,  who  had  on  a  previous  occasion  put 
forward  a  claim  to  the  headship  of  the  Principality. 
This  man,  Sadasheo  Rao  by  name,  was  invited  by  the 
mutineers  to  come  to  Jhansi,  and  he  came  with  the 
intention  of  bidding  for  the  throne,  but  he  did  not  arrive 
until  the  8th,  when  he  set  up  his  camp  in  the  Canton- 
ment, close  to  the  star  fort.  Meanwhile  a  proclamation 
was  issued  in  the  following  terms  : — ''  The  people  are 
God's;  the  country  is  the  Padshah's  (the  King's,  who- 
ever he  may  be)  ;  and  the  two  religions  (the  Hindu  and 
the  Mohamedan)  govern."  It  is  stated  that  this  procla- 
mation was  not  made  until  the  evening  of  that  day  of  sad 
and  awful  memories  in  the  annals  cf  Jhansi,  the  8th  of 
June. 

It  was  evident  to  Captains  Skene  and  Gordon  that 
they  and  their  comrades  could  not  long  hold  out  against 
the  rebels,  as  guns,  ammunition,  provisions  and  water, 
except  in  very  limited  quantities,    were  all  wanting.     On 


IN   THE   HEART  OF   INDIA.  49 

the  moi'ning  of  the  7th,  therefore,  they  decided  upon 
sending  three  of  their  number  under  a  safe-conduct  (if 
procurable)  to  treat  with  the  Rani,  hoping  that  they 
might  be  allowed  to  retire  to  some  place  of  safety  in 
British  territory.  Accordingly  it  was  arranged  that 
Messrs.  A.  Scott,  C.  Purcell  and  J.  Purcell  should  pro- 
ceed to  the  palace.  As  no  arrangement  could  be  made 
for  a  safe  escort,  they  went  forth  risking  their  lives. 
They  had  not  gone  far  before  they  were  seized  by  the 
rebels  and  taken  to  the  palace  gate.  When  the  Eani  was 
apprised  of  their  presence  at  her  door,  her  reply  to  the 
announcement  was,  "I  have  no  concern  with  the  English 
swine  "  ;  but  she  ordered  the  prisoners  to  be  taken  to  the 
head-quarters  of  the  Irregular  Cavalry.  This  command 
was  equivalent  to  the  issuing  of  the  death-warrant  of 
these  men.  One  account  states  that  they  were  put  to 
death  at  the  cavalry  head-quarters,  another  mentions 
that  they  were  killed  just  beyond  the  wall  of  the  city. 
Subsequently  Mr.  T.  Andrews,  who  had  left  the  fort, 
was  seized  and  killed  by  the  Rani's  own  servants  at  the 
palace  door.  During  the  day  Captains  Skene  and  Gordon 
sent  a  number  of  communications  to  the  Rani,  and 
replies  were  received  from  her,  but  the  contents  of  the 
correspondence  are  not  known.  About  two  o'clock  in 
the  afternoon  another  attack  was  made  on  the  fort,  and 
the  assault  was  continued  until  nightfall.  Some  of  the 
rebels  were  killed  in  the  attack,  but  none  of  the  besieged 
were  hurt. 

Soon  after  daybreak  on  the  8th  of  June,  cannons  sup- 
plied by  the  Rani,  and  other  small  field-pieces  brought 
from  the  Cantonment,  having  been  placed  in  position, 
the  mutineers  opened  a  brisk  fire  against  the  walls 
of  the  fort.  Whether  from  any  defect  in  the  guns,  or 
want  of  skill  in  using  them,   this  cannonading  proved 


50  IN   THE   HEART   OF   INDIA. 

utterly  ineffective.  Not  a  single  stone  in  the  walls  was, 
according  to  the  statement  of  a  native  spectator,  displaced 
by  the  fire. 

While  this  assault  was  proceeding,  a  deed  of  treachery 
within  the  forb  was  discovered.  Two  natives,  who  had 
been  servants  of  the  British  Government  in  the  survey 
department,  were  found  to  be  acting  in  concert  with  the 
rebels  outside,  having  been  caught  in  an  attempt  to  open 
the  door  of  a  secret  passage  communicating  with  the 
town.  Lieut.  Powis,  who  discovered  this,  shot  one  of 
the  culprits,  but  he  was  himself  mortally  wounded  by 
the  other,  who  in  his  turn  was  killed  by  Lieut.  Burgess, 
and  the  two  traitors  were  laid  side  by  side  in  a  trench 
and  buried.  That  clay  some  Eurasians  stole  out  of  the 
fort,  hoping  to  be  able  to  save  their  lives,  but  they  were 
seized  and  put  to  death. 

An  escalade  was  finally  attempted  by  the  besiegers, 
but  it  failed,  as  all  who  were  engaged  in  it  were  shot 
down  by  the  garrison.  The  attack,  however,  was  con- 
tinued, and  daring  the  afternoon  the  mutineers  with 
guns  and  elephants  were  able  to  force  open  the  outer 
gates,  and  soon  after  this  to  establish  themselves  in  the 
lower  portions  of  the  fort.  The  crisis  seemed  to  be 
approaching.  With  the  heroism  of  a  last  hope  the  hold- 
ers of  the  fort  exerted  themselves  in  its  defence,  Skene 
and  Gordon  especially  sending  many  a  message  of  death 
to  the  assailants.  At  length  Capt.  Gordon,  who  was  looking 
through  a  window  over  the  fort  gate,  and  whose  familiar 
face  was  recognized,  was  aimed  at  and  shot.  Upon  the 
.occurrence  of  this  event  a  heavy  cloud  of  despondency 
gathered  over  the  remainder  of  the  defenders,  for  Gordon 
had  been  the  life  and  soul  of  the  garrison,  and  it  began 
to  be  felt  by  them  that  as  they  could  not  hold  out  much 
longer   it    would   be  better  tc   surrender.     In    a  short 


IN   THE    HEART   OF   INDIA.  51 

time,  therefore,  Skene  intimated  to  the  enemy  that  the 
garrison  was  ready  to  make  terms  of  peace.  Upon  this 
the  leaders  of  the  insm-gents  drawing  near  to  the  gate,  and 
hearing  what  Skene  had  to  propose,  sw^ore  with  the  most 
solemn  and  sacred  oaths,  through  the  medium  of  Saleh 
Mahomed,  a  native  doctor,  that  all  the  British  and 
Anglo-Indians  in  the  fort  w^ould  be  allowed  to  depart  in 
safety,  if  they  would  give  themselves  up.  Confidence 
more  or  less  was  placed  in  these  assurances,  the  gates 
were  thrown  open,  and  the  helpless  baud  walked  out  of 
the  fort  only  to  be  apprehended  by  the  rebels,  who  im- 
mediately bound  the  men  of  the  party,  lest  any  of  them 
should  escape.  Presently  some  sepoys  of  the  cavalry 
came  riding  up,  and  announced  that  it  was  the  order  of 
their  officer  that  all  the  captives  should  be  put  to  death. 
The  prisoners  were  then  led  forth  without  the  city  wall 
to  the  Jokhan  Bagh  in  the  direction  of  the  star  fort  to 
be  massacred.  The  leader  in  this  foul  proceeding  was 
the  infamous  ex-superintendent  of  the  jail,  who  first  with 
his  own  ssvord  cut  down  Capt.  Skene.  Dr.  McEgan 
seems  to  have  been  the  next  victim.  His  wife  tried  to 
save  him  by  throwing  her  arms  around  him,  but  §he  w^as 
beaten  and  pushed  aside.  Dr.  McEgan  was  then  cut 
down,  and  Mrs.  McEgan,  who  cast  herself  upon  her 
husband's  prostrate  body  was  also  killed.  It  is  said 
that  a  Miss  Brown  fell  on  her  knees  before  a  sepoy,  and 
begged  for  her  life,  but  she  was  immediately  cut  down. 
No  particulars  concerning  the  deaths  of  the  others  are 
recorded,  but  all  perished  together,  the  whole  number  of 
the  unhappy  victims  of  the  mutiny  in  Jhansi,  including 
those  w^ho  were  killed  in  the  Cantonment,  being  66.  A 
Eurasian  woman,  Mrs.  Mutlow,  escaped  being  massacred, 
by  having  at  the  time  of  the  outbreak  concealed  herself 
in  the  town,  disguised  as  a  native.     Some  of   the  bodies 


52  IN    THE    HEART    OF   INDIA. 

of  the  slain  were  allowed  to  remain  unburied  for  several 
days.  When  they  were  buried,  the  reraains  of  the  men 
were  thrown  into  one  gravel  pit,  and  those  of  the  women 
into  another.     Then  all  were  lightly  covered. 

On  the  9th  of  June,  after  the  Eani  and  Sadasheo  Rao 
had  had  an  opportunity  of  bidding  against  each  other 
for  the  headship  of  the  territory  whicli  had  been  cleared 
of  its  British  rulers,  the  matter  of  the  new  Government 
was  settled  in  the  Rani's  favor  by  her  paying  down  to 
the  mutineers  a  large  sum  of  money,  and  promising  to 
pay  more  in  the  future.  A  new  proclamation  was  then 
made  as  follows : — •*  The  people  are  God's  ;  the  country 
is  the  Padsha's  (by  which  was  probably  meant  the  Para- 
mount Power  in  India) ;  and  the  Raj  (Rule)  is  Rani 
Lakshmi  Bai's." 

The  disappointed  aspirant  to  the  chieftainship  of  Jhansi 
was  not  inclined  to  return  quietly  to  his  village  home. 
There  is  in  the  district,  at  the  distance  of  30  miles  from 
Jhansi,  a  strong  Bundela  fort  called  Kurrara.  It  was  the 
head-quarters  of  the  Bundelas  before  they  established 
their  capital  at  Orcha.  To  this  fort  Sadasheo  Rao  be- 
took himself  with  such  a  following  as  he  could  command, 
which  is  said  to  have  numbered  300  men.  He  turned 
out  the  British  native  officials  who  were  still  there, 
appointed  his  own  officers  of  state,  and  issued  a  pro- 
clamation to  this  effect : — "  Maharaja  Sadasheo  Rao 
Narayan  has  seated  himself  on  the  throne  of  Jhansi,  at 
Kurrara."  Shortly  afterwards,  however,  the  Rani  sent 
some  troops  against  him,  and  he  fled  into  the  territory 
of  Scindia.  But  he  was  subsequently  inveigled  by  the 
Rani  into  her  power,  and  after  the  retaking  of  Jhansi 
by  the  British  in  1858  he  was  transported  for  life. 

The  Rani  at  once  set  to  work  rnost  vigorously  to  estab- 
lish her  authority  in  her  old  capital.     She  levied  troops. 


IN   THE   HEART   OF   INDIA.  63 

strengthened  the  fortifications  of  Jhansi  and  Kurrara, 
and  started  a  mint  for  the  coining  of  her  own  currency. 
She  governed  ostensibly  on  behalf  of  her  adopted  son, 
and  at  the  same  time  endeavored  to  gain  the  favor  of 
the  British  Government  by  writing  to  several  high  offi- 
cials, lamenting  the  massacre  which  had  taken  place  in 
Jhansi,  with  which  she  disavowed  having  had  any  con- 
nection whatever.  She  asserted  that  she  was  only 
holding  the  Jhansi  district  until  the  British  could  make 
arrangements  for  reoccupying  it.  The  Eani  remained 
in  power  until  April  1858,  when  by  the  advent  of  a 
British  army  and  its  operations  against  the  doomed  city 
the  whole  situation  was  again  changed. 


VII. 

THE  RE=TAKING  OF  JHANSI  BY 

MAJOR=GENERAL  SIR  HUGH   ROSE,  AND 

THE  FLIGHT  OF  THE  RANI, 

In  the  summer  of  1857  the  British  were  so  fully 
occupied  in  quelling  the  outbreaks  of  mutiny  at  Delhi, 
Cawnpore,  Lucknow  and  other  places  in  North  India, 
that  they  were  unable  to  undertake  any  military  opera- 
tions in  Central  India  before  the  spring  of  the  following 
year. 

The  officer  who  was  chosen  to  command  a  column  of 
Bombay  troops,  which,  starting  from  the  large  canton- 
ment of  Mhow,  marched  to  Jhansi,  Kalpi  and  Gwalior, 
was  Major-General  Sir  Hugh  Eose,  who  was  afterwards 
Commander-in-Chief  of  the  Army  in  India,  and  entitled 
Lord  Strathnairn.  He  was  the  most  conspicuous  figure 
in  the  Central  India  Campaign,  the  events  of  which  form 
one  of  the  most  thrilling  chapters  in  the  history  of  the 
Sepoy  War.  During  a  military  and  diplomatic  career, 
which  had  already  extended  over  thirty-seven  years,  he 
had  been  employed  in  Ireland  and  in  Syria,  and  had 
taken  part  in  the  engagements  at  the  Alma,  at  Inkermann 
and  before  Sevastopol.  Not  the  least  of  the  services 
which  he  had  rendered  to  his  country  were  those  which 
he  performed  as  a  diplomatist  at  Beyrout  and  at  Con- 
stantinople.    The  fearlessness  of  responsibility,  and  the 


IN   THE   HEART   OF   INDIA.  55 

promptness  of  action,  which  ever  characterized  him 
were  splendidly  illustrated,  when  at  an  important 
crisis  of  strategic  manoeuvering  on  the  part  of  the  repre- 
sentatives of  Eussia  and  England,  he  was  the  alert  and 
daring  instrument  of  checkmating  Prince  Menschikolf 
by  ordering  the  British  fleet  at  Malta  to  proceed  at  once 
to  Besika  Bay, 

When  General  Rose  was  appointed  to  conduct  in  con- 
junction with  General  Whitlock  the  Central  India  Cana- 
paign,  he  was  altogether  new  to  India  ;  and  his  being 
entrusted  with  a  large  share  of  so  important  an  under- 
taking as  the  subjugating  of  the  numerous  rebel  hordes, 
which  infested  the  country  between  the  Nerbudda  and 
Jumna  rivers,  was  regarded  by  some  who  were  aware  of 
the  magnitude  of  the  task  to  be  performed,  as  a  very 
grave  experiment,  but  all  doubt  as  to  his  fitness  for 
the  position  assigned  to  him  was  dispelled  as  his  move- 
ments were  observed.  From  the  first  he  appeared  to 
have  "  an  instinctive  perception  of  the  conditions  of  suc- 
cess in  Indian  warfare,"  and  his  brilliant  achievements 
abundantly  justified  the  wisdom  of  those  w^ho  selected 
him  for  a  service  of  so  great  responsibility.  Further 
justification  of  the  wisdom  of  the  selection  of  Sir  Hugh 
Rose  for  this  service  in  India  was  furnished,  when 
through  the  failure  of  General  Whitlock  to  join  him, 
he  proved  himself  capable  of  conducting  virtually  the 
entire  campaign  alone,  and  of  accomplishing  with  a 
single  column  of  troops  the  task  which  two  columns  were 
set  to  do.  Had  an  officer  less  competent  than  General 
Rose  been  appointed  to  the  command  of  the  Bombay 
column,  it  is  not  improbable  that  a  humiliating  and  most 
disastrous  failure  would  have  been  the  result,  and  that 
historians  of  the  campaign  would  have  had  to  record, 
instead  of  a  chapter  of  marvellous  successes,  the  defeat 


56  IN   THE   HEABT   OF   IKDIA. 

of  a  British  army  by  a  Mahratta  heroine,  who  suddenly, 
by  the  force  of  circumstances,  developed  into  one  of  the 
bravest  of  warriors.  "  The  best  and  bravest  military 
leader  of  the  rebels,"  are  the  words  with  which  Sir  Hugh 
Eose  himself  expressed  his  esteem  for  the  young  Eani  of 
Jhansi  as  a  soldier.  Col.  Malleson  in  his  history 
speaks  of  her  as  **a  woman  whopossessed  all  the  instincts, 
all  the  courage,  all  the  resolution  of  a  warrior  of  the  type 
so  well  known  in  consular  Eome." 

After  various  successful  engagements  with  rebel  forces 
on  his  way  to  Jhansi,  in  one  of  which  his  horse  was  shot 
under  him,  he  arrived  with  his  second  brigade  on  the 
20th  of  March  within  fourteen  miles  of  that  place, 
and  after  a  short  rest  sent  forward  a  part  of  his  force 
to  reconnoitre  and  invest  the  city.  As  the  British  troops 
approached  nearer  and  nearer  to  the  theatre  of  the  sad 
events  of  the  previous  summer,  keener  and  keener  became 
their  interest  in  every  move  which  was  made  by  their 
Commander,  and  greater  and  greater  grew  the  consterna- 
tion of  those  within  the  doomed  city  who  dreaded  the 
onset  of  the  avengers,  of  whose  approach  they  had  not 
been  unwarned.  As  early  as  the  14th  instant  a  council 
of  war  had  been  held  by  the  Eani  and  her  advisers. 
Some,  who  had  been  serving  her  in  various  administra- 
tive offices,  urged  her  to  make  terms  without  engaging 
in  a  conflict.  Others,  among  them  the  sepoys  who  had 
rallied  to  her  support,  pressed  her  to  fight.  The  former 
insisted  that  it  would  not  only  be  useless,  but  the  height 
of  madness,  for  them  to  attempt  to  oppose  the  invincible 
British.  The  latter,  appealing  to  the  valorous  spirit  which 
they  knew  the  Eani  to  possess,  said  that  it  would  be  un- 
worthy of  her  to  yield  without  a  struggle  that  which  she 
had  so  resolutely  acquired.  This  appeal  was  successful, 
although  there  is  good  reason  for  believing  that  the  Eani, 


IN   THE    HEART   OF   INDIA.  57 

if  she  had  not  been  overborne  by  the  influence  of  the 
sepoys,  rather  than  have  a  single  shot  fired,  would  have 
prefeiTed  to  sue  for  mercy.  Conversations  which  the 
waiter  has  had  with  old  men  in  the  city  have  elicited  the 
remark,  which  seems  to  express  the  general  belief, 
that  **  the  Bai  (the  Lady)  did  not  wish  to  fight  against 
the  British." 

The  garrison  of  the  Eani  numbered  eleven  thousand 
five  hundred  men,  including  fifteen  hundred  sepoys  who 
had  been  trained  in  the  British  army.  The  column  of 
troops  with  General  Eose  included  two  brigades,  com- 
prising two  regiments  of  European  infantry,  one  regi- 
ment of  European  cavalry,  four  regiments  of  native 
infantry,  four  regiments  of  native  cavalry,  bodies  of 
artillery,  sappers  and  miners,  and  a  siege  train. 
Numerically  the  forces  of  the  Eani  and  those  of  the 
British  General  were  about  equal. 

General  Eose  at  the  head  of  the  second  brigade  set  out 
from  his  camp  at  two  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  21st 
of  March,  and  arrived  before  Jhansi  at  nine  o'clock.  Halt- 
ing his  troops  at  the  distance  of  a  mile  and  a  half  from  the 
fort,  he  and  his  staff,  with  an  escort,  very  soon  proceeded 
to  reconnoitre  the  position  of  the  enemy.  How  carefully 
the  whole  situation  was  studied  may  be  inferred  from  the 
fact  that  the  General  did  not  return  to  his  camp  until  six 
o'clock  that  evening. 

Stretching  between  the  open  ground  on  which  he  had 
halted  and  the  wall  of  the  city  were  the  charred  ruins  of 
the  bungalows  in  which  had  dwelt  the  British  officers 
who  ten  months  before  had  been  slain. 

Of  the  fort  and  city  of  Jhansi  after  they  had  fallen 
into  his  hands,  the  following  description,  taken  almost 
textually  from  his  despatch  of  April  30th,  was  given  by 
Sir   Hugh   Eose  : — The   great   strength   of  the   fort  of 


58  IN    THE    HEART   OF    INDIA. 

Jhansi,  natural  as  well  as  artificial,  and  its  extent,  entitle 
it  to  a  place  among  fortresses.  It  stands  on  an  elevated 
rock,  rising  out  of  a  plain,  and  commands  the  city  and 
surrounding  country.  It  is  built  of  excellent  and  most 
massive  masonry.  The  fort  is  difficult  to  breach,  because 
composed  of  granite  ;  its  walls  vary  in  thickness  from 
sixteen  to  twenty  feet.  It  has  extensive  and  elaborate 
outworks  of  the  same  solid  construction,  with  front  and 
flanking  embrasures  for  artillery-fire,  and  loop-holes,  of 
which  there  were  in  some  places  five  tiers,  for  musketry. 
Guns  placed  on  the  high  towers  of  the  fort  commanded 
the  country  all  around.  On  one  tower,  called  the 
"  white  turret,"  recently  raised  in  height,  waved  in  proud 
defiance  the  standard  of  the  high-spirited  Kani.  The 
fortress  is  surrounded  on  all  sides  by  the  city,  the  west 
and  part  of  the  south  face  excepted.  The  steepness  of 
the  rock  protects  the  west ;  the  fortified  city  wall  springs 
from  the  centre  of  its  south  face,  runs  south-east, 
and  ends  in  a  high  mound  or  mamelon,  which  protects 
by  a  flanking  fire  its  south  face.  The  mound  was  forti- 
fied by  a  strong  circular  bastion  for  five  guns,  round  part 
of  which  was  drawn  a  ditch,  tw^elve  feet  deep  and  fifteen 
feet  broad,  of  solid  masonry.  The  city  is  surrounded  by 
a  fortified  massive  wall  from  six  to  twelve  feet  thick,  and 
varying  in  height  from  eighteen  to  thirty  feet,  with  nu- 
merous flanking  bastions  armed  as  batteries,  with  ord- 
nance, and  loop-holes,  and  with  a  banquette  for  infantry. 
One  result  of  the  General's  long  reconnaissance  on  the 
21st  of  March  was  the  decision  to  take  the  city  before 
assaulting  the  fort.  To  besiege  the  fort  before  taking  the 
city  would,  he  thought,  involve  double  labor  and  double 
danger.  The  wisdom  of  the  course  which  he  had 
decided  upon  was  shown,  when  after  the  taking  of  the 
city,  the   fort  was   abandoned  by   its  defenders.     The 


IN    THE    HEART    OF    INDIA.  59 

General's  reconnaissance  did  not  end  until  he  had  fully 
decided  upon  his  plan  of  attack.  He  had  determined  to 
make  his  assault  upon  the  city  from  two  directions,  from 
the  east  and  from  the  south.  On  a  rocky  knoll  on  the 
eastern  side  of  the  city,  and  about  three  hundred  yards 
from  the  city  wall,  four  batteries  were  placed  for  the 
purpose  of  bombarding  the  city.  While  these  batteries 
were  being  placed  in  position,  the  General  effected  with 
the  cavalry  of  the  first  brigade,  which  joined  him  on  the 
night  of  the  21st,  a  more  complete  investment  of  the  city 
than  had  previously  been  made,  which  procedure  served 
to  inform  the  insurgents  that  it  was  the  intention  of  the 
British  Commander,  not  only  to  take  the  city  and  the 
fort,  but  to  capture,  if  possible,  the  entire  garrison.  The 
four  batteries  were  ready  for  action  on  the  morning  of 
the  24:th,  and  on  the  morning  of  the  25th  the  bombard- 
ment of  the  city  was  comm.enced. 

The  chief  point  to  be  assaulted,  however,  was  the 
fortified  mound,  which  formed  a  part  of  the  city  wall 
toward  the  south.  Of  this  we  have  already  given 
General  Eose's  own  description.  As  the  wall  could  be 
breached  more  easily  at  that  place  than  at  any  other, 
the  rebels  had  endeavored  to  strengthen  that  point  to 
the  utmost.  It  was,  as  far  as  the  fortifications  on  the 
city  wall  were  concerned,  their  stronghold.  For  this 
reason  General  Eose  had  determined  to  take  it,  and 
through  a  breach  to  be  made  there  to  effect  an  entrance 
into  the  city.  This  mound  was  called  by  the  besiegers 
the  Mamelon.  About  four  hundred  yards  distant  from  it 
was  a  rocky  eminence  from  which  the  assault  upon  it 
was  made,  the  guns  placed  there  being  two  18-pounders. 
When  on  the  25th  of  March  the  remainder  of  the  first 
brigade  arrived,  these  troops  were  posted  to  the  south  of 
the  city.     The  forces  belonging  to  the  second  brigade  on 


60  IN   THE   HEART   OF   INDIA. 

the  eastern  side  of  the  city,  and  those  of  the  first  brigade 
on  the  south,  were  designated  respectively  the  "  Eight 
Attack  "  and  the  *'  Left  Attack." 

When  all  preparations  had  been  completed,  the  siege 
was  prosecuted  in  earnest.  While  the  gunners  un- 
ceasingly bombarded  the  city  from  the  east,  and  the 
Mamelon  from  the  south,  the  infantry  kept  up  a  galling 
fire  against  the  rebels  who  lined  the  walls.  On  account 
of  the  terrific  heat  at  that  season,  the  ordeal  to  which  the 
European  soldiers  were  subjected  was  most  severe,  but 
during  the  long  day  they  ceased  not  from  their  exhaust- 
ing toil.  By  keeping  wet  towels  bound  round  their  heads 
they  were  able  iu  some  measure  to  mitigate  the  effect  of 
the  burning  sun  and  the  hot  wind,  and  they  were  stimu- 
lated to  exertion  by  seeing  their  General  sharing  their 
hardship  as  he  went  from  point  to  point  for  the  purpose 
of  cheering  his  men. 

In  defending  the  city  the  rebels  showed  great  courage 
and  determination.  It  is  said  that  the  Eani  constantly 
visited  the  defences,  and  that  her  presence  and  words 
had  a  great  effect  in  animating  the  garrison.  Women 
were  seen  actively  engaged  in  distributing  ammunition 
and  even  in  working  the  batteries,  and  children  as  well 
as  women  assisted  in  repairing  damages  occasioned  by 
the  siege,  and  in  carrying  food  and  water  to  the  men 
and  women  on  the  wall.  Frequent  fires  occurred  in  the 
city,  as  houses  were  ignited  by  the  bursting  of  shells,  and 
the  consternation  of  the  beleaguered  people  rapidly  in- 
creased as  they  saw  more  and  more  of  the  havoc  wrought 
by  the  besiegers  on  every  side,  and  as  lamentations  for 
the  dead  and  wounded  were  multiplied. 

On  account  of  the  great  strength  of  the  Mame- 
lon, the  progress  made  in  besieging  it  was  slow, 
but    on     the     29th    of    March     the     parapets     of    its 


i 

■ 

/ 


IN    THE    HEART   OF   INDIA.  61 

bastion  were  levelled,  and  its  guns  were  silenced. 
On  the  two  following  days  the  cannonading  by 
both  sides  was  kept  up  with  increased  energy  and 
excitement.  It  is  said  that  the  lire  of  the  rebels  was  so 
incessant  that  the  parapet  of  the  city  wall  and  the  ram- 
parts of  the  fortress  all  along  often  presented  the 
appearance  of  a  sheet  of  flame.  On  the  30th  a  breach 
was  effected,  but  it  was  promptly  and  with  great  bravery 
stockaded.  The  besiegers  then  opened  a  fire  of  red  hot 
shot,  by  which  much  of  the  stockade  was  readily  de- 
stroyed. As,  however,  the  breach  was  not  yet  practicable, 
the  bombardment  was  still  being  most  vigorously  prose- 
cuted, and  the  rebels  were  continuing  the  defence  with 
unabated  courage,  when  on  the  evening  of  the  31st  the 
strenuous  efforts  alike  of  the  British  forces  and  of  the 
rebels  were  suddenly  but  only  momentarily  suspended. 
The  British  heard,  and  the  rebels  saw,  from  the  fortress, 
that  an  army  was  approaching  from  the  south.  Tantia 
Topi  was  coming  with  a  great  force  to  the  relief  of  the 
Eani.  His  coming  was  not  unanticipated  by  the  Eani  and 
her  people,  for  she  had  written  to  him  beseeching  him 
to  come  to  her  help,  and  the  hope  of  being  rescued  by 
him  from  a  perilous  position  had  served  to  inspire  her 
and  her  troops  with  fresh  fortitude  from  day  to  day. 
Nor  was  the  coming  of  Tantia  a  surprise  to  Sir  Hugh 
Rose.  He  knew  that  this  famous  rebel  leader  had  been 
besieging  the  town  and  fort  of  Charkhari,  eighty  miles 
east  of  Jhansi,  and  he  had  reason  to  believethat  his  next 
move  would  be  to  come  to  the  Rani's  aid.  He  was  there- 
fore expecting  him  to  appear,  and  in  accordance  with 
this  expectation  he  had  on  the  night  of  the  30th  ordered 
out  a  large  force  from  both  brigades  and  led  it  himself  to 
the  bank  of  the  Betwa  river,  eight  miles  distant.  As 
nothing    was    seen   or  heard   of   the   enemy,    the  force 


62  IN    THE    HEART    OF   INDIA. 

returned.  On  the  next  evening,  however,  the  General's 
expectation  was  realized,  and  suddenly  great  commotion 
occurred  in  the  camps  of  the  two  briga^des.  On  this,  as 
on  all  other  occasions,  General  Bose  remained  calm  in 
the  midst  of  the  excitement  which  prevailed  among  his 
troops,  and  quietly  attended  to  the  arrangement  of  his 
plans.  He  had  wisely  determined  that  the  siege  should 
not  be  intermitted,  but  that  it  should  be  continued  with 
unabated  vigor.  He  could  not,  however,  safely  withdraw, 
from  both  brigades  more  than  fifteen  hundred  men  of  all 
arms,  and  of  these  onl}^  five  hundred  were  Europeans, 
but  he  determined  to  go  forth  himself  with  only  these, 
to  encounter  an  army  of  rebels  numbering  no  less  than 
twenty-two  thousand.  This  great  rebel  force,  moreover, 
was  being  led  by  a  General  who  only  four  months  before 
at  Cawnpore  had  defeated  Major-General  Windham,  the 
hero  of  the  Eedan,  and  flushed  with  the  victory,  and 
enriched  by  the  abundant  spoils,  which  it  had  just 
gained  at  Charkhari,  it  was  confident  of  success  at 
Jhansi.  The  situation  of  the  British  force  at  this  junc- 
ture was  indeed  critical.  If  ever  a  cool  brain  and 
judicious  as  well  as  brave  generalship  were  needed  in  a 
military  commander  in  a  great  emergency,  it  was  at  this 
time  when  General  Eose  was  obliged  to  confront  with  a 
force  numerically  so  inferior  the  swarming  multitude  of 
rebels  led  by  Tantia,  and  containing  five  or  six  regiments 
of  sepoys  which  had  been  trained  by  British  officers.  It 
was  no  Jight  thing  for  General  Eose  to  leave  in  his  rear 
so  large  a  body  of  exultant  rebels,  who,  spurred  to  the 
utmost  by  "  a  woman  of  genius  and  masculine  resolu- 
tion," might  by  some  sudden  onset  gain  an  advantage 
over  the  troops  which  remained  to  continue  the  siege  ; 
but  he  had  made  as  good  a  disposition  of  his  forces  as 
was  possible,  and  with  as  clear  a  head   and  as  brave  a 


IN   THE   HEART   OF   INDIA.  63 

heart  as  British  soldier  ever  possessed,  he  resolved  to 
dare  and  do  his  best. 

As  Colonel  Malleson  well  remarks,  "  the  position  of  Sir 
Hugh  Eose  was  full  of  peril.  It  required  in  a  special 
degree  great  daring,  a  resolute  will,  the  power  to  take 
responsibility.  A  single  false  step,  a  solitary  error  in 
judgment,  might  have  been  fatal.  But  Sir  Hugh  Eose 
was  equal  to  the  occasion." 

General  Eose  resolved  not  to  remain  on  the  defensive, 
but  to  attack  the  enemy  early  the  next  morning.  The 
movements  of  the  British  General  were  observed  with 
the  greatest  interest  by  the  rebels  in  the  fort  and 
especially  by  the  Eani,  for  all  felt  sure  that  the  small 
British  force  was  going  forth  to  certain  destruction.  It 
is  said  that  during  the  whole  of  the  preceding  night  they 
had  been  shouting  with  frantic  delight  at  the  prospect  of 
what  they  would  witness  in  the  morning. 

Colonel  Malleson  in  his  history  has  given  a  detailed 
and  graphic  account  of  the  engagement  with  Tantia's 
troops  and  the  utter  overthrow  of  his  army ;  he  has  also 
given  full  and  interesting  particulars  of  the  final  strug- 
gle with  the  Jhansi  rebels,  which  immediately  ensued. 
The  following  is  taken  almost  verbatim  from  his  care- 
fully compiled  narratives : — Sir  Hugh  had  drawn  his 
force  from  both  brigades,  the  detachments  from  the  first 
being  led  by  Brigadier  C.  S.  Stuart,  that  from  the  second 
by  himself  in  person.  The  men  had  slept  in  their 
clothes  in  order  to  be  ready  for  immediate  action.  This 
precaution  had  wisely  been  taken.  At  four  o'clock  on  the 
morning  of  the  1st  of  April  Tantia's  troops  advanced 
towards  the  British  encampment.  Half  an  hour  later  the 
falling  back  of  the  pickets  warned  the  British  General 
of  the  near  approach  of  the  enemy.  In  a  few^  minutes 
the  British  guns  opened  fire,  and   almost  immediately 


64  IN    THE    HEART   OF   INDIA. 

those  of  the  opposing  force  answered.  The  fire  of  the 
few  guns  of  the  British  was  powerless  to  check  the 
onward  march  of  an  army  whose  line  overlapped  that  of 
the  British  on  both  flanks.  Tantia's  force  had  but  to 
move  straight  on  to  reach  with  its  extended  wings  the 
British  troops  which  were  besieging  the  fortress,  which 
troops  if  thus  reached  would  be  placed  between  two 
enfilading  fires.  Sir  Hugh  comprehended  the  situation 
in  an  instant,  and  took  measures  to  meet  it.  Massing 
his  horse  artillery  on  his  left;,  and  attaching  to  it  a  squad- 
ron of  the  Light  Dragoons,  he  ordered  them  to  attack 
the  enemy's  right,  whilst  he  himself,  on  the  other  flank 
should  direct  another  squadron  against  their  left.  The 
plan  succeeded  admirably.  The  rebels  were  so  surprised 
and  intimidated  by  this  double  attack,  that  their  centre, 
which  up  to  that  time  had  been  advancing  steadily,  first 
halted,  and  then,  as  the  men  composing  it  discerned  a 
movement  on  the  part  of  the  British  infantry,  broke  up 
into  disordered  masses.  This  movement  of  the  British 
infantry  was  in  obedience  to  an  order  of  General  Eose  to 
advance  as  soon  as  the  cavalry  attack  should  be  well 
pronounced.  When  they  sprang  to  their  feet,  advanced 
a  few  yards,  discharged  a  volley  into  the  enemy's  ranks 
and  then  rushed  upon  them  with  fixed  bayonets,  the 
effect  was  magical.  The  first  line  of  Tantia's  troops  at 
once  broke,  and  fled  in  complete  disorder  towards  the 
second  line,  abandoning  several  guns. 

The  second  line,  commanded  by  Tantia  in  person,  was 
occupying  a  positior?  upon  rising  ground,  its  front  covered 
by  jungle,  about  two  miles  in  rear  of  the  first  line.  Tantia 
beheld  in  dismay  the  latter  rushing  belter  skelter  to- 
wards him,  followed  by  the  three  arms  of  the  British  in 
hot  pursuit ;  but  he  had  scarcely  realized  the  fact,  when 
another  vision  on  his  right  flank  appeared,  to  add  to  his 


IN   THE   HEART   OF   INDIA.  65 

anguish.  Whilst  Sir  Hugh  Eose  had  been  engaged  in 
the  manner  described,  Brigadier  Stuart  with  his  force 
had  moved  around  into  the  plain  on  the  right  of  the 
enemy,  in  order  to  check  a  large  body  of  them,  who  were 
taking  advantage  of  the  battle  raging  in  front  of  the  line 
to  move  off  tow^ards  the  city.  Stuart  attacked  them,  and 
defeating  them  drove  them  back,  hotly  following  them. 
So  close  indeed  was  the  pursuit,  that  this  detachment  of 
Tantia's  troops  having  no  time  to  re-form,  fled  in  con- 
fusion, leaving  gun  after  gun  in  the  hands  of  the  victors, 
and  leaving  also  numbers  of  their  dead  or  dying  on  the 
field. 

This  had  the  effect  of  forcing  upon  Tantia  a  sudden 
decision.  The  day  he  saw  was  lost  ;  but  there  was  yet 
time,  he  hoped,  to  save  his  second  Une  and  his  remaining 
guns.  He  at  once  set  fire  to  the  dry  jungle  which 
covered  the  ground  between  him  and  the  British,  and  then 
under  the  cover  of  the  smoke  and  flames  commenced  a 
retreat  towards  the  Betwa,  hoping  to  be  able  to  place 
that  river  between  himself  and  his  pursuers.  His  infantry 
and  horsemen  led  the  retreat,  and  his  artillery  covered  it. 
Eight  gallantly  and  skilfully  they  did  it,  and  he  succeed- 
ed in  crossing  the  river  with  his  reserve  and  guns  and 
some  of  the  fugitives  from  the  first  line,  but  he  was  not 
the  safer  for  the  passage.  The  British  horse  artillery 
and  cavalry  had  dashed  at  a  gallop  through  the  burning 
jungle,  and  they  were  resolved  not  to  cease  from  the 
pursuit  till  they  had  captured  every  gun  that  had  opened 
against  them.  They  carried  out  their  intention  to  the 
letter.  Every  gun  was  taken.  Twenty-eight  field-pieces 
were  brought  back  with  them  when  they  rejoined  their 
comrades  that  evening.  Fifteen  hundred  rebels  had 
been  killed  or  wounded,  and  the  remainder,  with  Tantia 
at  their  head,  fled  towards  Kalpi. 

5 


66  IN   THE   HEART   OF   INDIA. 

Whilst  the  battle  with  Tantia's  army  had  been  raging, 
the  besieged  had  redoubled  their  fire.  Mounting  the 
bastions  and  the  wall,  they  had  shouted  and  yelled  and 
poured  forth  volleys  of  musketry,  apparently  threatening 
a  sortie.  The  batteries  of  the  besiegers  were  never  plied 
with  more  vigour  or  with  greater  effect.  The  sight  from 
the  wall,  however,  did  not  long  continue  to  inspire. 
Suddenly  the  yells  and  the  shouts  ceased,  for  the  garrison 
had  recognized  the  fact  that  the  day  of  their  deliverance 
had  not  arrived,  as  they  had  confidently  expected. 

The  victorious  troops,  returning  from  the  pursuit  of 
Tantia's  army  with  their  morale  greatly  strengthened, 
resumed  at  once  their  former  positions  at  the  siege. 
The  British  General,  having  determined  to  take  advan- 
tage of  the  discouragement  which  he  knew  the  defeat  of 
Tantia  could  not  have  failed  to  produce  in  the  minds  of 
the  besieged,  ordered  that  heavy  firing  should  be  kept 
up  all  that  night ;  and  it  was  continued  during  all  the 
next  day.  On  the  2nd  of  April  the  breach  in  the  city 
wall  having  been  rendered  practicable,  Sir  Hugh  resolved 
to  storm  the  place  the  next  morning,  and  made  his  pre- 
parations accordingly. 

His  plan  was  to  make  a  false  attack  on  the  west  wall 
with  a  detachment  under  Major  Gall  of  the  14th  Light 
Dragoons,  and  as  soon  as  the  sound  of  his  guns  should 
be  heard,  the  main  storming  party  was  to  debouch  from 
cover  and  enter  the  breach,  whilst  on  the  right  of  the 
breach  an  attempt  should  be  made  to  escalade  the  wall. 
Such  was  the  programme  to  be  followed  by  the  "Left 
Attack,"  which  was  composed  of  the  Eoyal  Engineers, 
the  86th  Foot,  and  the  25fch  Bombay  Native  infantry. 
Its  left  column,  commanded  by  Lt.-Col.  Lowth,  was  to 
storm  the  breach;  its  right  column,  led  by  Major  Stuart, 
was   to   escalade   the   wall   to  the  right   of   the  breach. 


IN    THE    HEART   OE   INDIA.  67 

The  reserve  was  commanded  by  Brigadier  Stuart.  The 
"  Eight  Attack,"  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  city,  was  to 
escalade  the  eastern  wall.  Of  these  troops,  comprising 
the  Madras  and  Bombay  Sappers,  the  3rd  Bombay 
Europeans,  and  the  Infantry  of  the  Hyderabad  Contin- 
gent, the  right  column  was  commanded  by  Lt.-Col. 
Liddell,  the  left  by  Capt.  Eobinson,  and  the  reserve  by 
Brigadier  Steuart  of  the  14th  Light  Dragoons. 

At  3  A.  M.  on  the  3rd  of  April  the  storming  parties 
marched  to  the  positions  which  had  been  assigned  to 
them  and  awaited  the  signal  to  be  given  by  Major  Gall's 
party.  No' sooner  was  it  heard  than  the  stormers  dashed 
to  the  front.  On  the  left  Capt.  Darby  led  the  troops  of 
Col.  Lowth's  column  in  the  most  gallant  manner  up  the 
slope  towards  the  Mamelon.  On  approaching  near  the 
wall  the  progress  of  the  stormers  was  impeded  by  a  deep 
trench,  the  existence  of  which  w^as  previously  unknown 
to  the  besiegers,  because  it  w^as  entirely  hidden  from  their 
view.  To  leap  into  this  trench,  plant  the  ladders,  and 
ascend  on  the  side  towards  the  wall,  was  however  but 
the  w^ork  of  a  few  moments.  A  young  soldier,  named 
Dartnell,  was  the  first  to  gain  the  breach  ;  but  the  ladder 
by  which  he  ascended  the  wall  having  been  broken  by 
the  impetuosity  of  those  w^ho  were  following  him,  he  was 
momentarily  left  alone  to  be  hacked  at  by  the  rebels. 
He  was  severely  wounded,  and  only  saved  his  life  by 
receiving  in  his  arm  the  sabre  cuts  which  were  aimed  at 
his  head.  With  such  determination  did  the  stormers 
push  forward  and  pour  through  the  breach  that  the 
main  body  of  the  rebels  who  had  been  defending  the 
Mamelon  speedily  took  to  flight.  The  few  brave  defend- 
ers who  stood  their  ground  w^ere  killed,  and  thus  that 
part  of  the  wall  which  had  borne  the  brunt  of  the  siege 
was    entirely   cleared.     Down    the   incline   towards  the 


68  •    IN   THE    HEART    OF   INDIA. 

street,  leading  from  the  principal  gate  of  the  city  to  the 
palace,  rushed  the  British  troops. 

Simultaneously  with  the  attack  just  described,  Major 
Stuart,  though  steadily  opposed  by  the  enemy,  had 
effected  another  entrance  into  the  town  by  escalading 
the  wall  at  a  short  distance  to  the  right  of  the  Mamelon. 
Thus  with  eminent  success  had  the  stormers  of  the 
''  Left  Attack"  gone  forward. 

'  As  soon  as  an  entrance  into  the  city  had  been  effected 
on  the  south  side,  Col.  Lowth  despatched  a  part  of  his 
force  to  aid  the  stormers  of  the  '•  Eight  Attack,"  who  had 
not  yet  won  any  success.  This  detachment,  attacking 
in  flank  and  rear  the  rebels  who  were  defending  the 
eastern  wall,  forced  them  to  retire,  thus  clearing  the 
way  for  the  entrance  of  the  British  troops  on  the  eastern 
side  of  the  city. 

The  troops  of  the  "  Right  Attack  "  had  suffered  severe- 
ly in  their  fruitless  attempt  to  scale  the  eastern  wall. 
On  hearing  the  signal  given  by  Major  Gall's  men,  they 
had  marched  silently  from  their  cover  in  three  bodies. 
No  sooner  however  had  they  turned  into  the  road  lead- 
ing to  the  Saugor  gate,  which  was  the  object  of  their 
assault,  than  the  enemy's  bugles  sounded  an  alarm,  and 
at  once  a  very  heavy  fire  was  opened  upon  them.  "  For 
a  time,"  says  one  w^ho  was  there,  "  it  appeared  like  a 
sheet  of  fire,  out  of  which  burst  a  storm  of  bullets,  round- 
shot  and  rockets,  destined  for  our  annihilation."  Through 
this  fire  the  stormers  had  to  march  upwards  of  two 
hundred  yards,  but  they  pushed  on  steadily  and  planted 
their  ladders  in  three  places  against  the  wall.  For  the 
moment,  however,  it  was  impossible  for  them  to  ascend. 
Amid  a  chaos  of  sounds  of  volleys  of  musketry,  and  of  the 
roaring  of  cannon,  and  of  the  hissing  and  bursting  of 
rockets  and  infernal   machines,   and  while  huge    stones, 


l" 

1 

ft             r;|J 

i 

w 

1 

IN   THE   HEART.  OF   INDIA.  69 

blocks  of  wood,  and  even  trees  were  being  hurled  upon 
them,  the  assailants  were  obliged  to  pause  for  a  little  and 
shelter  themselves  as  best  they  could.  The  Sappers, 
however,  kept  firm  hold  of  their  ladders,  and  in 
spite  of  the  prodigious  efforts  of  the  enemy  main- 
tained them  in  their  positions  against  the  w^all. 
How  long  this  check  continued  no  one  could  tell,  for 
minutes  then  seemed  to  be  hours.  When  the  pause 
occurred,  Major  Boileau,  of  the  Madras  Engineers,  went 
back  to  report  the  state  of  affairs  to  the  Brigadier,  and 
he  quickly  brought  up  a  reinforcement  of  one  hundred 
men  of  the  3rd  Europeans.  Then  the  stormers,  led  by 
their  engineer  officers,  rushed  to  the  ladders.  Unfortu- 
nately some  of  the  ladders  were  found  to  be  too  short, 
while  others  from  weakness  broke  down  under  the 
weight  of  the  men.  Lieut.  Dick,  of  the  Engineers,  was 
the  first  to  gain  by  means  of  one  of  the  ladders  the  sum- 
mit of  the  wall.  While  fighting  against  enormous  odds 
he  called  out  to  the  men  to  follow  him.  Lieut.  Meikle- 
john  mounted  by  another  ladder,  and  then  boldly 
jumped  down  amongst  the  rebels  below.  The  men 
pressed  on  from  behind,  but  before  they  could,  in  any 
number,  join  their  officers,  Dick  had  fallen  from  the  wall 
dying,  having  received  numerous  wounds,  both  from  shot 
and  bayonet;  Meiklejohn  had  been  cut  to  pieces;  and 
Fox,  of  the  Madras  Sappers,  who  had  also  reached  the 
top  of  the  wall,  had  been  shot  in  the  neck.  But  the 
stormers  pushed  on,  ascending  by  eight  or  more 
ladders,  and  at  length  gained  a  footing  on  the  wall,  where 
they  and  their  antagonists  contested  the  position  most 
fiercely,  and  death  was  dealt  out  to  many  on  both  sides. 
It  was  at  this  crisis  that  the  detachment  from  the 
*'  Left  Attack  "  came  to  the  aid  of  their  comrades  on  the 
eastern   wall,  and  relieved   them   by  taking  their  assail- 


70  IN   THE    HEART    OF    INDIA. 

ants  in  flank  and  rear,  thus  compelling  them  to  with- 
draw from  the  defence  on  that  side  of  the  city.  Being 
thus  succored,  the  storm ers  of  the  "  Eight  Attack  "  were 
able  to  join  those  of  the  "  Left,"  and  take  part  in  clear- 
ing the  road  to  the  palace,  situated  about  three  hundred 
yards  from  the  fort. 

Throughout  the  entire  length  of  this  thoroughfare  the 
British  troops  were  obliged  to  fight  their  way,  and  here 
the  struggle  with  the  rebels  was  terrible  in  the  extreme, 
for  it  was  for  the  most  part  a  house-to-house  and  hand- 
to-hand  encounter  with  an  infuriated  mob.  As  the 
conflict  raged,  the  street  was  strewed  with  the  bodies  of 
the  dead  and  dying  ;  and  the  flames  of  burning  houses, 
intensifying  the  heat  of  an  April  sun,  made  the  temper- 
ature in  the  narrow  road  wellnigh  unendurable.  The 
road  as  it  approached  the  palace  ran  near  the  fort,  and  on 
the  side  towards  the  fort  there  were  no  buildings  to 
shield  them.  Here  consequently  for  a  considerable  dis- 
tance the  British  troops  were  exposed  to  a  heavy  musket- 
ry tire  from  the  crowds  of  rebels  on  the  fortress  wall 
which  towered  above  them,  and  very  many  were  either 
killed  or  wounded,  among  whom  were  quite  a  number 
of  officers.  Here  were  found  General  Eose  and  his  staff, 
leading  the  troops  on  to  the  palace.  *'  There  was,"  says 
an  eye-witness,  '*  one  individual  whose  attention  to  the 
wounded  and  dying  must  have  attracted  every  one's 
notice.  He  was  always  present  by  day  and  by  night, 
regardless  of  danger  :  he  seemed  animated  but  by  one 
desire,  which  was  to  do  good  and  afford  consolation  to 
the  dying,  whether  Catholic  or  Protestant.  This  was 
the  Eev.  Mr.  Strickland." 

At  the  palace  occurred  the  most  sanguinary  conflict  of 
this  awful  day.  The  residence  of  the  Eani  had  been 
specially  prepared  for  resistance  in  the  last  resort.     The 


IN    THE    HEAKT   OF   INDIA.  71 

courtyard  was  the  scene  of  the  first  bloody  en  counter. 
Access  to  each  apartment  in  turn  was  most  stubbornly 
opposed,  and  to  dislodge  the  rebels  the  bayonet  was 
freely  used.  At  length  the  struggle  seemed]  to  be  at  an 
end,  but  later  on  it  was  discovered  that  fifty  men  of  the 
Rani's  bodyguard  still  held  the  stables  attached  to  the 
palace.  These,  to  the  last  man,  stood  their  ground, 
fighting  to  the  death.  A  trophy  most  highly  valued  by 
those  who  captured  it  was  obtained  during  the  contest 
with  these  men  It  was  the  silken  Union  Jack  which 
Lord  William  Bentinck,  when  Governor-General  of 
India,  presented  to  the  first  Raja  of  Jhansi  in  recognition 
of  his  loyalty  to  the  British. 

The  struggle  at  the  palace  had  but  just  terminated 
when  General  Rose,  who  had  been  present  throughout 
with  the  '*  Left  Attack,"  received  information  that  a  body 
of  rebels,  numbering  about  four  hundred,  after  having 
tried  in  vain  to  force  the  pickets  of  one  of  the  British 
cavalry  camps  outside  the  city,  had  taken  up  a  position 
on  a  rocky  height  to  the  west  of  the  fortress,  and  that 
the  cavalry  had  surrounded  them  there.  He  therefore 
sent  Major  Gall  with  a  detachment  of  the  Bombay 
Native  Infantry  to  attack  them,  and  all  were  killed  but 
about  twenty,  who  retreated  to  the  summit  of  the 
crag,  and  there  placing  themselves  upon  their  powder 
flasks  blew  themselves  up.  This  lofty  mass  of  rock  is 
now  called  "  Retribution  Hill."  The  British  lost  an  officer 
and  several  men  in  the  attack  upon  this  hill.  Another 
body  of  about  fifteen  hundred  rebels,  having  collected 
in  one  of  the  suburbs  of  the  city,  had  resolved  to  defend 
themselves  to  the  last,  but  when  attacked  they  failed  to 
stand  their  ground.  Three  hundred  of  these  were 
either  killed  or  wounded,  and  the  remainder  made  good 
their  escape.     All  that  night  and  throughout  the  follow- 


72  IN    THE    HEABT   OF   INDIA. 

ing  day  desultory  fighting  continued,  and  many  of  the 
enemy  were  killed,  while  others  saved  themselves  by 
taking  shelter  under  the  guns  of  the  fort. 

The  British  losses  during  the  operations  against 
Jhansi,  including  the  action  with  Tantia  Topi,  amount- 
ed to  three  hundred  and  forty-three  killed  and  wounded, 
of  whom  thirty-six  were  officers.  The  enemy's  loss 
Vv^as  computed  at  five  thousand. 

"The  mode  by  which  Jhansi  was  captured,"  writes 
Col.  Malleson,  "  attests  the  merits  of  the  noble  soldier 
who  planned  and  carried  out  the  attack.  Never  was 
there  a  more  complete  combination  of  daring  and  skill, 
of  foresight  and  resolution.  The  result  was  worthy 
of  the  plan  and  of  the  genius  which  formed  the  plan." 

Assistant  Surgeon  Sylvester,  in  recording  his  recollec- 
tions of  the  taking  of  Jhansi,  wrote  as  follows  concern- 
ing the  conduct  of  Sir  Hugh  Eose's  troops :—"  During 
the  whole  siege  the  greatest  forbearance  was  shown  to 
all  who  would  peaceably  surrender."  He  further  said 
that  the  British  soldiers  manifested  a  degree  of  forbear- 
ance and  Christian  kindness  towards  women  and  children 
and  aged  men  that  was  a  great  credit  to  them.  They 
even  shared  their  meals  with  some  of  the  people  found 
destitute  in  the  city. 

When  the  fighting  had  ceased,  an  eager  search  for 
treasure  and  curiosities  ensued.  In  this  officers  and 
men  alike  participated,  all  being  anxious  to  obtain  some 
interesting  memento  of  the  siege  and  capture  of  Jhansi. 
Of  what  they  did,  and  of  what  they  found,  Sylvester 
gives  the  following  account : — "  They  dived  into  every 
house  and  searched  its  dark  corners  ;  they  pulled  down 
walls,  or  parts  of  walls,  which  appeared  to  be  of  recent 
construction,  all  out  of  curiosity,  and  not  from 
a    desire   to  loot     of   course,    because    this    was    for- 


IN    THE    HEART   OF   INDIA.  73 

bidden  under  pain  of  the  strictest  punishment.  One 
class  of  articles,  however,  seemed  to  be  looked  upon  as 
fair  loot  by  even  the  most  scrupulous  :  these  were 
the  gods  found  in  the  temples.  They  were  collect- 
ed in  great  numbers,  and  were  strangely  sought  after 
by  every  officer  and  common  soldier.  There  were 
Gunputies  and  Vishnoos  innumerable  and  of  every 
metal.  Some  were  really  pretty  ornaojents,  silver  with 
gold  bangles  on  their  grotesque  limbs,  and  small  enough 
to  be  worn  on  the  watch-chain  ;  others  were  of  brass 
and  stone  of  rare  workmanship.  So  general  had  the 
rebellion  been  in  the  city  that  even  the  fakeers  and 
gosains  had  left  their  holy  places  and  armed  against 
us.  The  chief  interest  centred  in  the  palace  of  the 
Eani.  Here  were  pet  animals  of  various  kinds.  Every- 
thing \^as  in  the  greatest  confusion  and  disorder,  and 
the  open  court  was  strewn  with  clothes,  firearms,  horse 
and  elephant  gear,  cooking  utensils,  grass,  grain,  etc. 
The  second  storey  had  a  very  handsome  appearance,  in  fact 
was  somewhat  gorgeous.  The  chief  apartments  ran  the 
whole  length  of  the  palace  front,  the  suite  consisting  of 
a  large  durbar  room,  two  sleeping  apartments,  an  inner 
sans-souci-looking  sort  of  chamber,  the  ceiling  of  which 
was  of  plate-glass  mirrors,  and  the  walls  of  ornamental 
and  gilded  panels,  decorated  with  mirrors  and  paintings. 
On  the  floor  was  spread  a  cushion  of  cotton,  covered 
with  crimson  velvet,  and  one's  feet  sank  in  it  as  in  snow. 
Here  one  pictured  the  Kani  taking  her  siesta,  or  listen- 
ing to  her  favorite  minstrel  and  the  twang  of  his  guitar. 
The  large  room  was  beautifully  painted,  glazed  and 
ornamented,  and  was  carpeted  with  rugs  of  Persian 
manufacture.  There  were  four  large  windows  on  the 
front  side,  and  large  chandeliers  of  purple-colored  glass 
were  suspended  from  the    ceiling.     The  room  was  fur- 


74  IN    THE    HEART   OF    INDIA. 

nished  with  chairs  and  ottomans,  tables  and  couches, 
pictures  and  ornaments  in  abundance,  many  of  costly 
metal.  The  sleeping  rooms  were  fitted  up  by  one  who 
was  no  stranger  to  luxury.  In  the  ornamentation 
scarlet  and  gold  were  the  prevailing  colors.  The  bed- 
steads were  of  silver,  and  the  coverlets  were  of  scarlet 
satin  and  silk  and  gold.  Women's  dresses,  and  some 
very  full  skirts  with  gilt  trimmings,  doubtless  belonging 
to  nautch  girls,  were  lying  about.  Every  thing  indicated 
the  hasty  and  unexpected  flight  of  the  Kani.  She  had 
taken  refuge  in  the  fort  probably  as  soon  as  the  noise  of 
the  assault  had  been  heard  by  her  on  the  morning  of  the 
3rd.  It  looked  somewhat  strange  to  see  groups  of  men 
in  red  coats  prowling  about  in  the  deserted  palace,  with 
powder-besmeared  faces,  and  their  bayonets  stained  with 
blood.  Along  the  passages  and  in  the  verandahs  were 
numberless  brass  and  copper  vessels,  some  of  them  of 
huge  proportions.  These  were  valuable,  and  must  have 
constituted  a  considerable  item  in  the  prize  account. 
There  were  some  horribly  dismal  rooms,  bringing  the 
Italian  dungeons  forcibly  to  mind.  These  appeared  to 
be  store-rooms  for  an  indescribable  variety  of  articles. 
In  the  smaller  upper  rooms  the  valuables  were  found, 
consisting  of  shawls,  scarfs,  turbans,  gold  ornaments, 
jewels  and  silver  vessels,  together  with  bags  of  rupees 
and  gold  mohurs.  But  the  spoil  was  not  all  found  in 
one  place  or  at  one  time.  Chests  of  treasure  were  con- 
stantly being  discovered  by  the  help  of  the  divining  rods 
of  the  prize  agents.  Some  Enghsh  plate,  which  had 
belonged  to  some  of  the  victims  of  the  massacre,  was 
recovered.  Guards  were  placed  over  the  treasure,  and 
some  members  of  the  General's  staff  took  up  their  abode 
in  the  palace.  The  town  was  held  by  the  infantry  and 
guns.     The  enemy  held  the  fortress,  on  which  their  flag 


IN   THE   HEART   OF   INDIA.  75 

continued  to  fly.  They  kept  up  a  desultory  fire  from  their 
guns,  and  shot  at  all  they  saw  from  the  loop-holes.  It 
was  thought  they  would  hold  out  for  some  time." 

General  Eose,  meanwhile,  was  engaged  in  planning 
for  an  assault  upon  the  fortress.  But  whatever  plan  he 
may  have  resolved  upon,  he  was  spared  the  task  of 
carrying  it  into  execution  ;  for  on  the  night  of  the  4th  of 
April  the  stronghold  was  evacuated,  and  the  Eani  and 
many  who  fled  with  her  succeeded  in  making  good  their 
escape  beyond  the  British  lines.  Not  until  daybreak 
was  it  known  that  the  rebels  had  fled.  One  of  the  British 
pickets,  seeing  the  fort-gate  open,  made  known  the  fact  to 
his  comrades,  whereupon  they  cautiously  approached  the 
entrance ;  then,  not  being  fired  upon,  they,  accompanied 
by  some  officers,  entered  and  found  the  place  entirely 
deserted.  The  Eani's  red  flag  was  still  flying  over  the 
citadel,  but  no  time  was  lost  in  removing  it,  and  hoisting 
in  its  place  the  Union  Jack. 

It  was  marvellous  that  the  Eani  and  any  of  her 
followers  could  succeed  in  evading  detection  by  the 
British  pickets.  How  extraordinary  the  achievement 
was,  will  be  better  understood  when  it  is  explained  that 
the  fort-gate  was  on  the  side  towards  the  palace,  and 
inside  the  city  wall ;  and  that  a  considerable  circuit  had 
to  be  traversed  by  the  fugitives  before  they  reached  the 
wall-gate — the  Ganpat  Khirki — through  which  they 
made  their  exit.  And  having  got  outside  the  city  wall^ 
they  had  still  to  face  the  cordon  of  General  Eose's 
videttes,  which  encircled  the  entire  city  and  its  suburbs. 
It  is  impossible  under  the  circumstances  to  repress  the 
question,  How  could  all  that  multitude  w^hich  issued 
from  the  fortress  make  their  way  to  the  outside  of  the 
city  without  being  observed  by  the  British  pickets  inside 
the  city  wall  ?     What  were  the  pickets  doing,  that  such 


76  IN   THE   HEART   OF   INDIA. 

a  thing  could  take  place  ?  It  is  not  so  difficult  to  under- 
stand how  a  considerable  number  of  the  fugitives  could 
manage  to  elude  the  videttes  outside  the  city.  They 
must  have  separated  into  small  parties,  and  sought 
simultaneously  to  break  through  the  cordon  at  various, 
points,  and  the  videttes  while  able  to  turn  many  back 
would  be  powerless  to  prevent  all  from  escaping. 
Probably  only  a  minority  of  those  who  made  good  their 
escape  from  the  fort  and  the  city  were  able  to  get 
through  the  British  lines  outside.  Many  who  attempted 
to  break  the  cordon  were  halted,  some  while  stubbornly 
essaying  to  overcome  Major  Gall's  pickets  being  turned 
back  no  less  than  three  times.  Seeing  how  successfully 
so  many  had  escaped,  and  among  them  the  Eani  herself, 
how  great  must  have  been  the  chagrin  of  the  city's 
captors,  when  the  chief  prize,  which  they  had  hoped  to 
capture,  had  so  easily  and  needlessly  slipped  through 
their  hands  !  Another  remarkable  circumstance  about 
the  escape  of  the  Eani  and  so  many  of  her  followers  was 
that  chey  were  provided  with  horses,  without  which  their 
flight  could  not  have  been  successful.  Were  their 
horses  with  them  in  the  fort?=''  And  if  so,  how  much 
more  remarkable  it  was  that  they  with  their  horses 
could  escape  from  the  c^.ty  unobserved  ! 

It  is  said  that  the  Rani  rode  straight  to  Kalpi,  a  dis- 
tance of  ninety-five  miles,  and  that  she  could  not  have 
stopped  long  by  the  way;  for  when  General  Rose  heard 
of  her  exit,  he  immediately  sent  some  of  his  cavalrymen 
in  pursuit,  but  the  chase  was  in  vain.  "The  Rani, 
though  seen  in  full  flight,  mounted  on  a  grey  horse,  and 
attended  only  by  a  few  followers,  could  not  be  over- 
taken."    Lieut.  Dowker,  it  is  said,  came  up  so  near  to 

*  Since  this  was  written  the  writer  has  been  informed  that  there 
were  about  twenty  horses  in  the  fort. 


IN    THE    HEART   OF   INDIA.  77 

them,  that  he  disturbed  the  Eani  at  her  morning  meal, 
but  he  had  been  wounded,  and  was  so  disabled  that  he 
could  not  continue  the  pursuit.  Some  of  the  fugitives, 
who  managed  to  elude  the  British  videttes,  but  who 
could  not  keep  pace  with  the  Rani  in  her  flight,  were 
overtaken  and  slain. 

The  place  where  the  remains  of  the  English  and 
Eurasian  residents  who  were  massacred,  were  buried,  if 
not  the  very  spot  where  the  Memorial,  erected  by  the 
British  Government,  stands,  must  have  been  near  that 
locality.  When  the  burial-place  was  found,  it  was  Sir 
Hugh  Eose's  wish  that  the  remains  should  be  re-interred, 
but  this  proved  to  be  impracticable.  A  rough  stone-wall 
was  erected  to  protect  the  sacred  spot,  and  over  the 
remains  the  burial  service  was  read  by  Chaplain  Schwabe 
(Protestant),  assisted  by  Chaplain  Strickland  (Roman 
Catholic),  a  large  portion  of  the  force  which  had 
operated  against  Jhansi,  and  the  Major-General's  staff, 
being  present. 


VIII. 

THE    RANI   OF    JHANSI    TAKES  THE    FIELD 

AGAINST  THE  BRITISH,  AND  PERISHES 

AT  GWALIOR. 

The  story  of  the  remarkable  woman  who  figures  in 
the  last  two  chapters  would  not  be  complete  without 
the  sequel  which  is  now  to  be  given.  It  is  said  that  of 
the  Eani's  defenders  in  the  fort  at  Jhansi  some  five 
hundred  either  accompanied  her  or  followed  her  in 
her  flight  to  Kalpi.  Tantia  Topi,  after  being  routed  by- 
General  Eose's  troops,  had  set  off  in  the  direction  of  Kalpi, 
but  as  he  had  not  marched  rapidly,  he  did  not  reach  that 
place  until  the  evening  of  the  Eani's  arrival.  The  Eani 
expected  to  meet  him  there,  for  Kalpi,  which  had  been 
the  head-quarters  of  the  infamous  Nana,  at  the  time 
when  Tantia  was  sent  by  him  with  an  army  of  twenty- 
five  thousand  to  fight  General  Windham  at  Cawnpore, 
was  now  the  head-quarters  of  the  Nana's  nephew,  the 
Eao  Sahib,  under  whose  direction  Tantia  was  campaign- 
ing in  Bundelkhand. 

When  Sir  Hugh  Eose  set  out  upon  his  Central  India 
Campaign,  his  plan — a  plan  which  at  the  request  of  the 
Governor-General  of  India  had  been  sketched  by  Sir 
Eobert  Hamilton,  his  Agent  in  Central  India,  and  which 
had  received  the  endorsement  of  Sir  Colin  Campbell, 
the  Commander-in-Chief  of  the  Indian  Army — was  to 
be  completed  by   the  capture  of  Kalpi,    after  the  strong- 


IN    THE    HEART   OF   INDIA.  79 

hold  of  the  rebels  at  Jh  an  si  had  been  taken.  Kalpi, 
situated  on  the  southern  bank  of  the  Jumna  river,  at  the 
distance  of  forty-five  miles  from  Cawnpore,  had  been 
well  chosen  by  the  mutineer  leaders  as  a  strategic  point, 
and  as  a  rallying  place  for  bands  of  rebels  from  all  quar- 
ters. As  the  gate  of  Western  Bundelkhand,  it  furnished 
the  insurgents  with  an  advantacjeous  base  for  military 
operations  in  Central  India.  Here  was  their  arsenal, 
which  was  well  stocked  with  guns  and  war  material  of 
every  kind. 

The  Rani  fled  to  Kalpi  that  she  might  join  other  rebels 
there,  and  herself  take  the  field  against  the  British. 
Her  first  act  on  arriving  at  the  rebel  head- quarters  was 
to  beg  the  Rao  Sahib  "  to  give  her  an  army  that  she 
might  go  to  fight."  On  the  morning  following  her 
arrival,  the  Rao  held  a  parade  of  all  his  troops,  v/hich 
then  consisted  of  a  number  of  regiments  of  the  Gwalior 
Contingent,  several  battalions  of  regular  sepoys  recruited 
to  nearly  their  full  strength  (all  formerly  belonging  to 
the  British),  the  contingents  of  various  rebel  Rajas, 
and  the  remnant  of  the  Jhansi  garrison — a  really  formid- 
able force.  At  the  close  of  the  review,  the  Rao  ad- 
dressed the  troops,  and  then  directed  Tantia  to  take 
command  of  them,  and  go  forth  to  oppose  the  British, 
who  were  expected  soon  to  advance  upon  Kalpi. 

The  object  of  the  rebel  leader  in  sending  forth  his  troops 
to  meet  the  army  of  General  Rose  was  to  harass  it,  and 
if  possible  wear  out  at  least  the  European  portion  of  it> 
before  it  should  reach  its  goal,  for  it  was  known  to  be 
in  a  very  exhausted  condition  from  fighting  in  the  sun. 
And  to  render  their  opposition  to  the  British  as  effective 
as  possible,  the  rebel  leaders  agreed  among  themselves 
to  make  no  attacks  upon  the  British  before  ten  o'clock 
in  the  day,  in  order  that  the  "  European  infidels  "  might 


QQ  IN   THE    HEART    OF    INiDIA. 

the  more  readily  succumb  to  the  heafc,  aud  consequently 
either  die  or  be  sent  into  hospital.  Although  Tantia  Topi 
was  placed  in  command  of  the  Rao  Sahib's  troops,  the 
Rani  of  Jhansi  was  no  insignificant  factor  in  the  rebel 
army  in  its  last  encounters  with  the  British.  From  the 
time  she  joined  it  at  Kalpi,  her  presence  and  her  bra- 
very inspired  it  with  fresh  enthusiasm.  Her  unfaihng 
intrepidity  of  spirit  placed  her  in  striking  contrast  with 
cowardly  Tantia,  and  her  astonishing  power  of  physical 
endurance,  coupled  with  other  soldierly  quaUties,  made 
her  conspicuous  as  a  cavalry  leader.  In  horsemanship, 
in  swoid-practice  and  in  the  use  of  firearms  she  showed 
herself  to  be  no  novice.  In  all  these  arts  she  had  been 
tutored  from  the  time  of  her  husband's  death,  having 
no  doubt  thought  that  some  day  they  might  stand 
her  in  good  stead.  And  though  previous  to  her  joining 
the  other  rebels  at  Kalpi  she  had  never  taken  the 
field  against  an  enemy,  it  is  possible  that  she  may 
have  acquired  some  knowledge  of  military  tactics 
from  observing,  if  not  in  directing,  the  various  actions 
of  her  d3fenders  in  their  warfare  with  the  troops 
of  the  Orcha  State,  when  the  latter  during  the  brief 
period  which  elapsed  between  the  massacre  of  the 
English  in  Jhansi  and  the  coming  of  Sir  Hugh  Rose's 
army  to  retake  the  place,  sought  to  recover  for  their 
Bundela  Chief  the  territory  which  Orcha  had  lost  more 
than  one  hundred  and  sixty  years  before  through  the 
incursions  of  the  Mahrattas. 

The  place  where  the  rebels  had  determined  to  make 
their  stand  for  the  purpose  of  resisting  the  British  army, 
was  the  town  of  Koonch,  situated  forty  miles  from 
Kalpi,  and  about  ten  miles  fron:  the  main  road  leading 
to  Jhansi.  Here  they  fortified  themselves,  and  awaited 
the  coming  of  the  British  force. 


IN   THE    HEART   OF  INDIA.  81 

General  Rose  was  obliged  to  remain  for  nearly  three 
weeks  in  Jhansi  not  only  that  his  troops  might  have  a 
little  respite  after  the  severe  strain  to  which  they  had 
been  subjected  during  the  siege  and  capture  of  the 
Eani's  Capital,  but  also  that  he  miglit  collect  supplies 
and  ammunition  for  the  remainder  of  his  campaign,  and 
arrange  for  the  safety  of  that  part  of  Bundelkhand 
which  he  had  just  conquered  and  was  about  to  leave 
in  his  rear. 

He  wdth  his  force  set  out  for  Kalpi  on  the  25th  of 
April,  and  in  six  days  having  traversed  somewhat  less 
than  half  the  distance  to  his  destination,  learned  that  the 
enemy  was  entrenched  at  Koonch,  about  fifteen  miles 
further  on,  and  was  prepared  for  a  stubborn  resistance. 
As  Sir  Plugh's  troops,  having  suffered  greatly  from  the 
extreme  heat  on  the  six  days'  march,  were  in  no  con- 
dition to  attack  Tantia's  much  larger  force,  which  after 
throwing  up  entrenchments  had  been  resting  until  the 
British  should  appear,  their  Commander,  w^hose  judg- 
ment could  be  relied  upon  to  deal  an  effective  blow 
when  the  enemy  was  least  prepared  for  it,  and  ^vho  also 
w^ell  knew  when  it  was  wise  to  wait  in  order  to  deprive 
the  enemy  of  an  advantage,  decided  to  halt  until  the 
position  which  Tantia  had  taken  up  could  be  thoroughly 
reconnoitred,  and  his  own  troops  were  in  a  state  to  attack 
without  serious  danger  of  their  being  repulsed.  This 
course  which  General  Rose  decided  upon  was  the  more 
necessary,  since  before  making  an  attack,  a  distance  of 
at  least  fourteen  miles  had  to  be  travelled  by  his  force 
before  it  would  come  in  sight  of  the  enemy's  entrench- 
ments. At  length,  on  the  5th  of  May,  the  British 
General  was  ready  to  move  forward,  and  before  day- 
break on  the  6th  the  march  was  begun.  The  day  was 
well  advanced,    and   the  terrific  heat  of  the  sun   was 

6 


82  IN    THE    HEART    OP    INDIA. 

making  sad  havoc  of  Sir  Hugh's  officers  and  men  before 
the  battle  was  over,  but  sagacious  strategy  and  wise 
generalship  won  an  overwhelming  victory.  The  rebels 
lost  more  than  live  hundred  men  in  killed  and  wounded, 
while  the  British  loss,  besides  those  who  were  struck 
down  by  the  sun,  was  three  officers  and  fifty-nine  men 
killed  and  wounded.  The  rebels  left  all  their  guns,  nine 
in  number,  on  the  field.  The  British  cavalry  and  horse 
artillery  entered  upon  the  pursuit  of  the  retreating  rebels, 
but  the  pursuers  were  soon  obliged  to  turn  back,  as  their 
horses  were  so  worn  out  that  they  could  barely  walk. 
Some  of  the  fugitives  were  seized  with  heat-apoplexy, 
and  fell  dead  upon  the  road.  The  Kani  escaped  to  Kalpi, 
accompanied  by  her  Jhansi  horsemen.  Tantia,  abandon- 
ing his  army  before  the  battle  was  over,  fled  to  his  vil- 
lage home,  which  was  about  twenty  miles  distant.  This 
conduct  of  his,  coupled  with  his  non-appearance  at 
Kalx^i,  seems  to  indicate  clearly  that  he  considered  it 
useless  for  the  rebels  to  attempt  to  withstand  another 
attack  of  General  Rose's  army,  and  that  consequently 
all  hope  for  the  success  of  their  cause  was  at  an  end. 

Not  so  thought  the  Rani  of  Jhansi.  So  far  from 
being  disheartened  on  account  of  the  defeat  at  Koonch, 
she  was  prepared  to  prolong  the  struggle  with  the 
British  indefinitely,  and  was  eager  for  the  conflict  at 
Kalpi.  Of  ail  the  rebels  who  had  fought  at  Koonch  she 
was  almost  the  only  one  who  on  account  of  their  dis- 
astrous defeat  had  not  become  dispirited.  It  is  stated 
concerning  Tantia's  beaten  troops  that  on  their  way 
back  to  the  Rao  Sahib's  head-quarters,  not  only  did  all 
ranks  join  in  heaping  reproach  upon  their  cowardly 
commander,  but  they  quarrelled  among  themselves  over 
the  disaster  which  had  befallen  them,  the  infantry 
blaming  the   cavalry   for  having  deserted  them  at  the 


IN    THE    HEART   OF    INDIA.  §3 

critical  moment,  and  the  cavalry  retaliating  in  like 
fashion  ;  and  that  so  distrustful  of  one  another,  and  so 
discouraged  and  demoralised  had  they  become,  that  on 
the  day  after  their  return,  hearing  that  the  British  were 
advancing  upon  them,  they  dispersed,  some  in  one 
direction  and  others  in  other  directions,  until  not  more 
than  eleven  sepoys  could  be  counted  in  the  defences  at 
Kalpi.  Even  the  Eani's  valor  was  not  of  itself  suffi- 
cient to  inspire  with  fresh  courage  the  disheartened 
followers  of  pusillanimous  Tantia. 

But  for  an  unexpected  event  which  occurred  a  few  days 
afterwards  there  might  have  been  no  more  fighting. 
This  event,  which  was  hailed  with  delight  by  the  Rao 
Sahib  and  the  Rani,  was  the  arrival  of  the  Nawab  of 
Banda  with  a  force  of  two  thousand  mutineer  cavalry- 
men and  some  guns,  besides  his  own  followers.  The 
troops  of  Tantia,  scattered  in  the  country  round  about, 
soon  heard  of  the  advent  in  Kalpi  of  the  Nawab  and  his 
force,  and  returned  to  head-quarters.  By  the  Rao,  the 
Rani  and  the  Nawab— the  three  rebel  leaders  now  at 
Kalpi — the  utmost  efforts  w^ere  put  forth  to  render  their 
preparations  for  defence  as  complete  as  possible,  and  their 
exertions,  as  Col.  Malleson  remarks,  **  produced  one  of 
those  changes  from  despair  to  confidence  which  mark 
the  Indian  character."  Concerning  the  change  which 
took  place  at  this  time  in  the  minds  of  the  reassembled 
rebel  troops,  Holmes  says:  ''Their  spirits  bounded  from 
despair  to  the  highest  pitch  of  confidence."  From  an 
intercepted  letter  it  was  learned  that  the  rebels  were 
exhorted  by  their  leaders  to  hold  Kalpi  to  the  end,  as  it 
was  their  last  asylum  and  their  only  arsenal,  and  by 
exterminating  the  infidel  English  to  win  their  right  to 
paradise.  This  exhortation,  which  was  enforced  by  the 
influence  of  Mahratta  pundits  in  the  neighborhood,  who 


84  IN    THE    HEART    OF    INDIA. 

were  preaching  a  crusade  on  behalf  of  the  Nana's  cause, 
had  the  effect  to  call  forth  a  most  loyal  response.  More- 
over the  position  of  the  rebels  at  Kalpi,  on  a  high  bluff 
of  the  Jumna  river,  and  surrounded  on  the  three  remain- 
ing sides  by  interminable  ravines,  was  one  which  lent 
itself  in  a  remarkable  manner  to  defence  ;  and  if  it  seemed 
to  the  rebels  to  be  wellnigh  impregna,ble,  they  might  well 
be  considered  to  have  some  show  of  reason  for  their 
opinion.  Even  beyond  the  ravines  the  rebels  had 
extended  their  fortifications,  expecting  that  the  British,  if 
not  effectually  checked  by  the  defence  of  these  outworks, 
would  at  least  sustain  heavy  losses  in  attacking  them 
there  ;  for  the  rebels  had  no  other  idea  than  that  the 
British  would  make  their  attack  upon  Kalpi  from  the 
direction  of  their  approach  from  Koonch. 

But  a  British  General  of  the  type  of  Sir  Hugh  Rose 
cannot  be  depended  on  to  do  what  the  enemy  expects  of 
him.  Sir  Colin  Campbell,  the  Commander-in-Chief  of 
the  army  in  India,  well  understanding  how  Sir  Hugh's 
force  would  be  reduced  by  exposure  to  the  sun  at  the 
hottest  season  of  the  year  in  Central  India,  had  sent  a 
reinforcement  to  join  him  near  Kalpi.  This  reinforce- 
ment, under  the  command  of  Col.  Maxwell,  was  on  the 
northern  bank  of  the  Jumna,  at  a  village  called  Golowlee, 
six  miles  east  of  Kalpi,  awaiting  the  coming  of  General 
Eose. 

Knowing  how  necessary  it  was  for  every  reason  to 
gain  time  by  as  rapid  a  movement  of  his  troops  as  possible, 
Sir  Hugh,  although  time  after  time  prostrated  by  sun- 
stroke, pushed  forward,  not  straight  to  Kalpi,  but  to 
Golowlee,  where  he  knew  Col.  Maxwell  with  his  force 
was  expecting  his  arrival.  His  object  in  going  to  Golow- 
lee was  not  simply  to  effect  a  junction  with  Col.  Maxwell, 
but  by  doing  this  to  turn  the  fortifications   which  the 


IN    THE    HEART    OF    IKDIA.  85 

enemy  had  prepared  for  the  purpose  of  obstructing  his 
advance  upon  Kalpi.  While  thus  avoiding  unnecessary- 
lighting,  he  would  be  able  to  attack  the  town  in  a  manner 
wholly  unanticipated  by  the  rebels.  From  Golovvlee  as 
his  base  he  had  determined  to  make  his  assault.  His 
plan  was  that  Col.  Maxwell  should  shell  the  city  and 
fort  with  his  batteries  from  the  northern  bank  of  the 
river,  while  he  with  his  force,  supplemented  by  Col. 
Maxwell's  Camel  Corps  and  his  infantty,  which  included 
some  Sikhs,  would  undertake  to  clear  the  ravines  on  the 
east  side  of  the  town,  and  attack  the  fort  on  its  southern 
face. 

General  Rose,  realising  how  much  depended  upon  the 
issue  of  the  battle  to  be  fought,  and  anticipating  that  the 
utmost  desperation  would  be  shown  by  the  rebels  in  what 
they  would  regard  as  their  last  encounter  with  the 
British,  was  determined  that  nothing  should  be  lacking 
in  his  preparations  for  striking  the  blow  that  he  intended 
should  end  the  campaign  which  was  fast  wearing  out,  not 
only  himself  but  all  under  his  command.  It  is  said  that 
half  of  his  troops  were  sick,  and  that  all  were  more  or 
less  ailing.  What  wonder  is  it  that  such  should  be  their 
case,  when  the  mercury  reached  140°  at  ten  o'clock  in 
the  day.  At  this  hour  they  were  daily  harassed  by  desul- 
tory attacks  of  the  rebels,  while  the  General's  prepara- 
tions for  dealing  the  decisive  blow  were  in  progress.  On 
the  21st  of  May,  General  Rose,  having  learned  that  the 
enemy  intended  to  bring  on  a  battle  the  next  day,  re- 
solved to  deliver  without  further  delay  the  blow  which  he 
now  felt  he  could  safely  strike. 

According  to  expectation,  at  ten  o'clock  on  the  morn- 
ing of  the  22nd,  the  rebels  appeared  in  force  along  the 
entire  front  of  the  British  lines.  i\t  first  they  unsuccess- 
fully attempted  to  mislead  the  British  General  by  a  feint 


86  IN    THE    HEART    OF   INDIA. 

made  upon  his  left,  while  at  the  same  time  opening  fire 
upon  his  centre.  What  occurred  when  the  real  intention  of 
the  rehels  was  shown  is  thus  described  by  Col.  Malleson: — 
"  Suddenly,  as  if  by  magic,  the  whole  line  of  ravines 
became  a  mass  of  fire  ;  the  enemy's  left  batteries  opened, 
and  their  infantry,  climbing  from  below,  poured  in  an 
overwhelming  musketry  fire  on  the  British  right.  They 
pressed  on  with  loud  yells,  the  British  falling  back,  until 
the  enemy  approached  the  British  light  field  guns  and 
mortar  battery.  Then  Brigadier  Stuart,  dismounting, 
placed  himself  by  the  guns,  and  bade  the  gunners  defend 
them  with  their  Hves.  The  86th  and  25th  Native  Infan- 
try disputed  the  ground  step  by  step.  Still  the  rebels 
pressed  on,  and  it  seemed  as  though  from  their  numbers 
they  must  prevail,  when  Sir  Hugh  brought  up  the  Camel 
Corps  at  their  best  pace  ;  then,  dismounting  the  riflemen, 
and  leading  them  forward  himself,  he  charged  the  ad- 
vancing foe,  who  were  within  a  few  yards  of  the  British 
guns.  For  a  moment  the  enemy  stood,  but  only  for  a 
moment.  A  shout,  a  dash  forward  from  the  whole  Bri- 
tish line,  and  the  rebels  went  headlong  into  the  ravines 
below.  Thus  was  the  victory  gained.  Great  loss  was 
inflicted  on  the  rebels  as  they  fled.  Those  rebels  who 
reached  the  Kalpi  fort  felt  that  it  was  no  secure  place  of 
refuge,  and  evacuated  it  in  the  night.  The  rest  of  their 
force,  pursued  by  the  horse  artillery  and  cavalry,  lost 
their  formation  and  dispersed,  losing  all  their  guns  and 
baggage." 

Wha,t  part  the  Rani  of  Jhansi  took  in  this  battle  is  not 
known.  That  she  partook  of  the  hardships  of  this 
crucial  struggle  there  can  be  no  doubt.  She  fled  with 
the  vanquished  army,  and  when  safe  from  her  pursuers, 
slept  under  a  tree. 

Of  what  had  been  accomplished  at  Kalpi  on  that  event- 


IN   THE   HEART   OF    INDIA.  87 

i'ul  dcay,  Dr.  Lowe  wrote  thus  : — *'  A  glorious  victory- 
was  won  over  ten  times  our  numbers  under  most  trying 
circumstances.  The  position  of  Kalpi ;  the  numbers  of 
the  enemy,  wlio  came  on  with  a  resohition  and  a  display 
of  tactics  we  had  never  before  witnessed  ;  the  exhausted, 
weakened  state  of  the  General's  force  ;  the  awful,  suf- 
focating hot  winds  and  burning  sun,  which  the  men  bad 
to  endure  all  day,  without  time  to  take  food  or  water, 
combined  to  render  the  achievement  one  of  unsurpassed 
difficulty." 

The  task  which  the  Central  India  Field  Force  had. 
been  set  to  do*  having  been  accomplished,  the  troops 
composing  it  began  their  preparations  for  departure  to 
their  several  cantonments,  glad  at  the  prospect  of  well- 
earned  rest ;  and  their  Commander  was  looking  forwai'd 
to  a  change  to  a  better  climate  for  the  recuperation  of 
his  health.  On  the  1st  of  June  the  General's  farewell 
order  was  given  to  his  troops  ;  whereupon  they  began  to 
■disperse.  But  almost  immediately  after  this  order  had 
gone  forth,  Sir  Hugh  received  from  Col.  Robertson, 
who  had  on  the  25tli  of  May  been  sent  with  a  small 
column  in  pursuit  of  the  rebels,  a  message  to  the  effect 
that  the  fugitives  had  gone  towards  Gwalior.  This  news, 
if  it  could  be  true,  was  ominous.  All  doubt  as  to  the  move- 
ments of  the  rebels  was  dispelled  a  few  hours  later  when 
another  message  was  received  by  Sir  Robert  Hamilton 
confirming  the  tidings  sent  to  General  Rose.  Action  on 
the  part  of  Sir  Hugh  was  now  imperative,  and  as  soon 
as  possible  he  despatched  Brigadier  Stuart  with  a  portion 
of  the  first  brigade  to  reinforce  Col.  Robertson.  On 
the  4th  of  June  the  startling  intelligence  was  received  afe 
Kalpi  that  not  only  were  the  rebels  at  Gwalior,  but  that 
Scindia's  capital  was  in  their  possession.  This  intelli- 
gence was  almost  as  astounding  to  Sir  Hugh  Rose  and 


88  IN    THE    HEAET   OF   INDIA. 

Sir  Robert  Hamilton  as  the  news  of  the  lirst  outbreaks 
of  the  great  Mutiny  had  been  to  the  British  throughout 
India.  As  to  what  should  be  done  there  could  be  no 
doubt  in  the  mind  of  General  Rose,  and  how  it 
should  be  done  appeared  equally  clear  to  him.  Gwalior 
must  be  recovered  at  once,  and  the  task  of  re- 
covering it  must  fall  upon  the  troops  which  had 
composed  the  now  disbanded  Central  India  Field 
Force.  Sir  Colin  Campbell  acquiesced  in  this  view, 
and  telegraphed  to  Sir  Hugh  informing  him  that 
Brigadier-General  Smith's  brigade,  which  had  been 
operating  in  Rajputana,  and  a  column  under  Col.  Rid- 
dell  would  join  him.  Sir  Hugh  was  informed  also  that 
Brigadier-General  Robert  Napier  was  also  to  be  sent  to 
his  assistance.  The  troops  of  the  Hyderabad  Contingent, 
which  had  formed  a  part  of  General  Rose's  force,  and 
were  on  their  way  homeward,  on  hearing  of  the  events- 
which  had  occurred  at  Gwalior,  turned  back  of  their  own 
accord  to  fight  again  ander  their  old  chief.  As  Sir 
Hugh  now  needed  as  large  a  force  as  he  could  collect, 
he  ordered  the  garrison  which  he  had  left  in  Jhansi  to 
march  to  his  assistance. 

But  how  could  all  this  which  had  taken  place  at  Gwahor 
have  been  accomplished  so  quickly?  How  w^as  it  pos- 
sible for  it  to  be  accompHshed  at  all  ?  Who  could  have 
been  the  author  of  so  bold  a  project? 

The  rebel  leaders  w^ho  had  fought  at  Kalpi  had  fled 
with  their  followers  to  Gopalpore,  a  small  town  in  the 
jungle,  forty-six  miles  south-w^est  of  Gwalior.  There- 
Tantia  Topi  joined  them.  Could  Tantia  w^hile  skulking  in 
his  village  have  concocted  the  scheme  of  attempting  to 
oust  the  Chief  of  the  Gwalior  State,  who  had  faithfully  ad- 
hered to  the  British,  and  to  set  up  a  rebel  as  ruler  in 
Scindia's  stead  ?  This   is  by  no    means   probable.     The- 


IN    THE   HEART    OF   INDIA.  89 

Eani  of  Jhansi,  it  was  thought,  was  the  only  one  of  the 
rebel  leaders  who  was  capable  of  devising  such  a  plot. 
Of  her  Malleson  says:  "She  possessed  the  genius,  the 
daring,  the  despair  necessary  for  the  conception  of  grand 
deeds.  She  was  urged  on  by  hatred,  by  desire  of  ven- 
geance, by  a  blood-stained  conscience,  by  a  determination 
to  strike  hard  while  there  was  yet  a  chance." 

If  that  portion  of  Scindia's  army  which  had  not  yet 
been  disloyal  to  the  British  cause,  should  on  the  approach 
of  the  rebel  army  come  over  to  its  side,  the  taking  of 
Gwalior  woald  by  that  means  be  achieved.  So  splendid 
an  achievement  was  at  least  possible.  The  plan  was 
worthy  of  a  trial.  At  the  most  it  could  only  result  in 
adding  one  more  failure  to  all  their  other  disasters. 

What  had  been  hoped  for  by  the  rebels  as  a  possibility, 
was  that  which  actually  took  place.  The  following  is 
Malieson's  account  of  the  plan  of  the  rebel  leaders  and  of 
the  meeting  of  the  two  native  armies  : — '•  The  plan  was 
to  march  on  Gwalior  with  all  haste,  appeal  to  the  religious 
and  national  feeling  of  Scindia's  troops,  take  possession 
of  the  capital,  by  force  if  necessary,  and  gaining  over  the 
army  of  Scindia,  bid  defiance  to  the  British  from  the 
rock-fortress.  Emissaries  were  sent  in  the  night  of  May 
30th.  Jaiaji  Eao  Scindia  was  informed  that  night  of 
their  arrival.  The  rebel  force  was  estimated  at  7,000  in- 
fantry, 4,000  cavalry  and  twelve  guns.  Scindia  never 
wavered,  though  persuaded  and  threatened  by  his  people. 
He  determined  to  give  battle  to  the  rebels.  At  daybreak 
on  June  1st  he  marched  out  with  his  arm}'-,  and  took  up 
a  position  two  miles  east  of  Morar.  He  had  6,000  infan- 
try, 1,500  cavalry,  his  body-guard  of  600,  and  eight  guns. 
The  rebels  advanced  about  7  o'clock,  when  Scindia's  eight 
guns  opened  fire.  The  rebels  charged  at  a  gallop  and 
carried  the  guns  of  the  opposing  force.     At  once  Scindia's 


90  IN    THE    HEART    OF    INDIA. 

infantry  and  cavalry  deserted  him,  but  his  body-guard 
remained  with  him.  When  the  men  of  the  body-guard 
were  attacked,  a  portion  of  them  defended  themselves 
with  great  gallantry,  and  did  not  cease  fighting  until 
many  of  their  number  had  fallen.  When  it  appeared 
useless  to  continue  the  contest,  Scindia  turned  and  fled 
accompanied  by  a  very  few  of  the  survivors.  He  did  not 
draw  rein  till  he  reached  Agra.  The  Eani  of  Jhansi  and 
her  confederates  entered  Gwalior  unopposed,  took  pos- 
session of  the  fortress,  the  treasury,  the  arsenal  and  the 
city,  and  began  to  form  a  governm.ent.  Nana  Sahib  was 
proclaimed  Peshwa,  and  Rao  Sahib  governor  of  Gwalior. 
The  command  of  the  bulk  of  the  troops  encamped  out- 
side of  the  city,  was  given  to  the  Rani  of  Jhansi.  Those 
within  the  city  were  commanded  by  Tantia  Topi." 

The  plans  of  General  Rose  for  marching  upon  Gwalior 
were  so  quickly  matured  that  he  himself  with  a  small 
body  of  troops  set  out  for  Morar  on  the  6th  of  June, 
expecting  to  be  joined  on  the  way  by  other  troops  which 
under  Col.  Robertson  and  Brigadier-General  Stuart  had 
been  despatched  from  Kalpi  in  pursuit  of  the  rebels,  and 
expecting  to  be  further  aided  by  the  troops  w^hich  were 
coming  from  Jhansi.  He  had  issued  orders  to  Col. 
Riddell  to  march  with  his  column  down  the  Agra  road 
towards  Gwalior  ;  to  Brigadier-General  Smith  to  proceed 
with  his  brigade  by  the  Jhansi  road  to  Kotah-ki-sarai, 
five  miles  south-east  of  Gwalior ;  and  to  Major  Orr,  in 
command  of  the  Hyderabad  Contingent,  to  move  to 
Paniar  on  the  Sipri  road,  fifteen  miles  from  Gwalior,  in 
order  to  cut  off  the  retreat  of  the  rebels  towards  the 
south. 

General  Rose  by  making  forced  marches  (for  no  time 
was  to  be  lost,  as  the  rainy  season  was  near  at  hand) 
overtook    Brigadier    Stuart    on  the  12th,    and  reached 


IN   THE   HEART   OF   INDIA.  91 

Bahadurpur,  live  miles  east  of  the  Morar  Caatonment, 
at  6  A.M.,  on  the  16th  June.  There  he  was  joined  by 
Brigadier-General  Napier.  Sir  Hugh  had  marched  his 
troops  at  night,  in  order  that  they  might  not  suffer  from 
the  effects  of  the  sun.  Finding  himself  confronted  by  a 
large  rebel  force  which  might  at  any  time  make  an 
onset  upon  him,  he  resolved,  though  his  troops  were 
tired,  to  attack  at  once,  and  Morar  was  taken. 

Brigadier- General  Smith  with  his  brigade  arrived  at 
Kotah-ki-sarai  early  on  the  morning  of  June  17th.  On 
the  way  he  had  been  joined  by  Major  Orr  and  his  Hydera- 
bad men,  and  also  by  the  small  field  force  from  Jhansi. 
From  his  position  at  Kotah-ki-sarai  he  saw  masses  of  rebel 
cavalry  and  infantry  on  the  high  ground  between  himself 
and  Gwalior.  The  enemy's  guns  were  found  to  be  in  posi- 
tion only  1,500  yards  distant.  As  Brigadier  Smith  did 
not  consider  himself  secure  where  he  was,  he  determined 
to  attack  without  delay.  Accordingly  he  first  sent  for- 
ward his  horse  artillery  in  face  of  the  enemy's  guns, 
which  were  soon  silenced.  He  next  directed  his  infantry 
under  the  command  of  Col.  Eaines  to  follow  up  the 
attack;  and  this  officer,  employing  tactics  which  had  be- 
fore been  successful,  ordered  his  men  to  make  a  rush  upon 
the  enemy  on  approaching  near  to  them.  The  carry- 
ing out  of  this  order  had  the  usual  effect  of  causing  the 
enemy  to  retreat.  Brigadier  Smith  then  moved  for- 
ward his  cavalry.  This  is  the  description  of  the  road 
which  they  followed,  and  of  the  fighting  which  ensued,  as 
given  by  Col.  Malleson : — *'  The  road  before  debouching 
from  the  hills  ran  for  several  hundred  yards  through  a 
defile.  In  this  defile  the  principal  fighting  took  place. 
Having  gained  the  further  end  of  the  defile,  when  he 
joined  Eaines,  Smith  halted  the  infantry  to  guard  it, 
and  ordered    his   cavalry   to   charge.     This   order   was 


92  IN    THE    HEART   OF   INDIA. 

most  gallantly  executed.  The  rebels,  horse  and  foot, 
gave  way,  two  guns  were  captured,  and  the  Hussars 
continuing  the  pursuit  through  Scindia's  cantonment 
had  for  a  moment  the  rebel  camp  in  their  possession. 
Amongst  the  fugitives  was  the  resolute  woman,  who 
alike  in  council  and  on  the  field  was  the  soul  of  the  con- 
spirators. Clad  in  the  attire  of  a  man,  and  mounted  on 
horseback,  the  Kani  of  Jhansi  might  have  been  seen 
animating  her  troops  throughout  the  day.  When  inch  by 
inch  the  British  croops  pressed  through  the  pass,  and 
when  at  length  Smith  ordered  the  Hussars  to  charge, 
the  Eani  of  Jhansi  fronted  the  British  horsemen.  When 
her  comrades  failed  her,  her  horse,  in  spite  of  her  effort 
to  restrain  him,  carried  her  along  with  the  others.  With 
them  she  might  have  escaped,  but  that  her  horse  in 
crossing  the  canal  near  the  cantonment  stumbled  and 
fell.  Then  a  Hussar,  ignorant  of  her  sex  and  her  rank, 
cut  her  down.  That  night  her  devoted  followers  burned 
her  body,  determined  that  the  English  should  not  boast 
that  they  had  captured  her  though  dead." 

"Whatever  her  faults  in  British  eyes  may  have  been," 
adds  Col.  Malleson,  "  her  countrymen  will  ever  remem- 
ber that  she  was  driven  by  ill-treatment  into  rebellion, 
and  that  she  lived  and  died  for  her  country." 

The  reader  who  has  perused  this  story  thus  far  may 
be  interested  to  know  something  of  those  events 
which  transpired  at  Gwalior  immediately  after  the  Eani's 
death,  and  which  brought  to  a  conclusion  the  military 
operations  of  Sir  Hugh  Kose  in  Central  India.  From  the 
histories  of  Col.  Malleson  and  Mr.  Holmes  the  following 
facts  have  been  gleaned  : — 

**  Upon  the  return  of  the  Hussars,"  wrote  Brigadier 
Smith,  "  the  officers  and  men  were  so  completely  ex- 
hausted and  prostrated  from  heat  and  fatigue  that  they 


IN   THE    HEART    OF   INDIA.  93 

could  scarcely  sit  in  their  saddles,  and  were  for  the 
movement  incapable  of  further  exertion."  Smith  there- 
fore determined  to  content  himself  with  holding  for  the 
night  the  defile  and  the  adjoining  hills  on  the  right. 
The  enemy,  who  appeared  to  be  threatening,  held  their 
ground  on  the  heights  to  the  left.  Col.  Eobertson  was 
sent  with  troops  to  reinforce  Smith,  and  on  the  afternoon 
of  the  next  day  General  Eose,  having  been  reinforced  by 
the  arrival  of  additional  troops  from  Kalpi,  marched 
with  a  portion  of  his  force  to  the  relief  of  Smith,  leaving 
Brigadier  Napier  in  Morar.  The  distance  which  General 
Eose  had  to  traverse  was  long  and  the  heat  terrible. 
One  hundred  men  of  a  single  regiment  were  struck  down 
by  the  sun.  Sir  Hugh  bivouacked  for  the  night  on  the 
rocky  ground  near  Brigadier  Smith's  position.  On  the 
19th  at  early  dawn,  the  rebels  opened  a  heavy  fire,  and 
Sir  Hugh  resolved  to  attack  them  at  once.  The  men 
who  had  succumbed  to  the  heat  on  the  previous  day  were 
able  to  fall  in  with  their  comrades  a-nd  take  part  in  the 
assault.  To  Brigadier  Stuart  was  committed  the  task  of 
striking  the  decisive  blow.  He  was  directed  to  move  for- 
ward with  his  infantry  and  crown  the  heights  held  by  the 
enemy,  while  Sir  Hugh  himself  stood  ready  to  advance 
with  his  horse  artillery,  supported  by  the  Hussars.  As 
Stuart  advanced  the  rebels  fell  back  rapidly,  and  his 
infantry  gave  them  no  time  to  rally  as  they  with  a  shout 
dashed  over  the  breast  works  in  front  of  them  and 
captured  the  three  nine-pounders  with  which  the  enemy 
had  intended  to  defend  that  portion  of  the  ridge.  Lieut. 
Eoome  advancing  at  the  same  time  with  half  a  regiment 
of  native  infantry  in  skirmishing  order,  the  other  half 
supporting  him,  cleared  the  nearer  heights,  capturing 
two  brass  field-pieces  and  three  mortars.  Parties  were 
left  to  guard  the  captured  guns,  while  the  fleeing  rebels 


94  IN    THE    HEART   OF   INDIA. 

were  pursued.  Thus  the  day  was  won.  Gwalior  was 
practically  in  the  hands  of  the  British.  From  the  posi- 
tion which  General  Eose  occupied  on  that  afternoon  old 
Gwalior  as  well  as  the  new  city,  with  the  great  fortress 
stretching  between  them,  stood  forth  clearly  to  view. 
In  the  plain  between  his  position  and  the  Lashkar  were 
the  rebel  forces  which  had  been  driven  from  the  heights. 
These,  panic-stricken,  were  endeavoring  to  find  a  refuge 
by  fleeing  into  one  or  other  of  the' walled  enclosures  out- 
side the  city.  The  view  was  interesting  and  inspiring, 
and  it  made  General  Eose  feel  that  he  could  take  the 
Jliashkar  before  sunset.  He  accordingly  ordered  a 
general  advance.  This  prompt  action  on  the  part  of  the 
British  Commander  caused  the  rebels  to  leave  on  the  field 
a  large  number  of  their  guns,  and  abandon  all  idea  of 
making  a  stand  for  the  defence  of  the  city.  Pursued  by 
the  British  troops  which  inflicted  upon  them  great  losses 
in  killed  and  vvounded,  they  retreated  through  the 
Lashkar.  Left  in  possession  of  the  city,  General  Eose 
at  once  made  arrangements  for  its  security.  Thus  on 
the  19th  of  June,  with  a  loss  of  only  eighty-seven 
men  killed  and  wounded,  was  Gwalior  retaken.  That 
night  Sir  Hugh  Eose  rested  in  the  regained  palace  of 
Scindia. 

The  great  fortress  was  still  held  by  a  small  band  of 
rebels,  who  in  defiance  of  the  power  which  had  posses- 
sion of  the  city  recommenced  firing  early  on  the  morn- 
ing of  the  20th.  Hearing  the  roar  from  the  first  dis- 
charge of  their  guns,  Lieut.  Eose  proposed  to  Lieut. 
Waller  of  his  regiment  that  they  should  attempt  with 
the  sepoys  whom  they  commanded  to  capture  the 
fortress.  The  proposition  made  by  Eose  being  seconded 
by  Waller,  these  two  brave  officers  set  off  with  their 
men,  accompanied  by  a  blacksmith.     Creeping  unobserv- 


ENTKANCE  OF  GWALIOR  FORTRESS. 


IN   THE   HEART   OF   INDIA.  95 

ed  up  to  the  outer  gateway,  with  the  help  of  the  black- 
smith they  were  able  without  much  difficulty  to  force 
this  open ;  and  with  like  success  the  remaining  five 
gates  were  also  thrust  ajar.  Not  until  the  last  gate  had 
been  thrown  open  did  the  holders  of  the  fortress  become 
aware  of  the  approach  of  the  assailants.  They  at  once 
fired  upon  them,  but  the  two  subalterns  with  their 
sepoys  dashed  onwards.  In  the  hand-to-hand  struggle 
which  ensued  Lieat.  Eose  lost  his  life,  but  Lieut. 
Waller,  supported  by  the  sepoys,  gained  possession  of 
the  fortress. 

"That  day,"  writes  Holmes,  "  Scindia accompanied  by 
Sir  Robert  Hamilton  and  Charters  Macpherson  (who 
still  held  the  office  of  Political  Resident  of  Gwalior,  but 
who,  like  the  Maharaja  of  Gwalior,  had  been  a  refugee  at 
Agra)  reentered  his  capital.  The  General  and  a  number 
of  officers  of  rank  went  out  to  meet  him.  A  squad- 
ron of  the  8th  Hussars,  and  a  squadron  of  the  14th 
Light  Dragoons  escorted  him  to  his  palace;  and  the 
streets  through  which  he  passed  were  thronged  by 
thousands  of  citizens  who  greeted  him  with  enthusiastic 
acclamations." 

Brigadier-General  Napier  had  been  ordered  to  pursue 
the  flying  rebels,  and  on  the  22nd  he  overtook  a  large 
force  of  them  at  Jaora-Alipur,  about  twenty  miles  west 
of  Gwalior.  With  these  rebel  troops  were  the  Rao 
Sahib  and  Tantia  Topi.  They  gave  battle  to  their  pur- 
suer, but  Napier  quickly  overwhelmed  them,  and  they 
broke  and  fled,  leaving  all  their  guns  (twenty-five  in 
number),  all  their  ammunition,  their  elephants,  carts, 
tents,  baggage  and  three  or  four  hundred  of  their  dead  and 
wounded  on  the  field.  Including  the  guns  captured  at 
this  time,  the  whole  number  of  artillery  pieces  taken  at 
Gwalior  was  fifty-two.     The  two  surviving  rebel  leaders 


96  IN   THE   HEAKT    OF   INDIA. 

and  their  followers  were  subsequently  further  dealt  with 
by  Brigadier-General  Napier. 

With  the  retaking  of  Gwalior  and  the  dispersion  of  the 
remnant  of  the  rebel  force  on  the  22nd  of  June  the 
campaign  of  Sir  Hugh  Eose  in  Central  India  was  final- 
ly concluded.  The  Major-General  in  once  more  bidding 
a  kind  farewell  to  the  troops  which  had  fought  under 
him,  said  that  he  could  not  do  so  under  better  auspices 
than  of  the  victory  of  Gwalior. 


IX. 

THE  COMMITTEE'S  VISIT  TO  JHANSI 
IN  JANUARY,  1886. 

We  return  now  to  the  narration  of  events  less  exciting 
than  those  of  which  an  account  has  been  given  in  the 
preceding  chapters — events  which  are  but  incidents 
connected  with  the  beginnings  of  our  missionary  work 
in  Jhansi, — and  we  do  so  in  the  beUef  that  our  readers, 
on  account  of  their  having  first  been  made  acquainted 
with  the  history  of  the  place  which  so  recently  had  been 
the  theatre  of  such  thrilling  miUtary  exploits,  will  feel  an 
interest  not  less  but  greater  in  the  quieter  experiences 
now  to  be  chronicled. 

Of  the  committee  appointed  to  visit  Jhansi,  and  report 
on  the  advisability  or  otherwise  of  its  being  taken  up  as 
a  mission  station,  my  husband  was  a  member,  and  as  we 
hoped  to  be  sent  to  this  new  field,  should  a  decision  in 
favor  oi  its  occupancy  be  reached,  it  was  thought  best 
that  I  should  accompany  the  visiting  party.  In  order 
that  we  might  take  a  somewhat  leisurely  survey  of  the 
place,  my  husband  and  I  decided  to  go  to  Jhansi  a  day- 
or  two  in  advance  of  the  other  members  of  the  committee. 
The  journey  was  made  by  rail  via  Agra  as  far  as  Morar, 
where  we  made  a  brief  halt  at  the  house  of  our  fellow- 
missionary,  Mrs.  Warren.  She  was  greatly  interested 
in  the  proposed  extension  of  the  work  of  the  mission, 

7 


98  IN    THE    HEART   OF   INDIA. 

and  as  has  been  already  remarked,  had  called  the  atten- 
tion of  the  mission  to  the  importance  of  our  taking  up 
Jhansi  as  one  of  our  stations. 

During  our  stay  in  Morar,  Mrs.  Warren,  calhng  our 
attention  to  a  passing  vehicle,  said,  "There  is  the  Jhansi 
mail-cart  just  leaving."  This  of  itself  would  have  been 
of  little  interest  to  us,  but  the  mail-cart  was  followed  by 
a  second  vehicle  filled  with  an  armed  guard.  We  had 
never  before. anywhere  in  India  seen  anything  of  this 
kind,  and  it  was  explained  that  as  the  mail-bags  had  been 
robbed  some  time  before  between  Morar  and  Jhansi,  this 
armed  escort  had  been  provided  to  ensure  their  safe  con- 
veyance. Nothing  could  better  illustrate  the  com- 
paratively unsafe  state  of  things  in  the  heart  of  India 
before  the  Indian  Midland  Eailvvay  was  completed  than 
this  picture. 

Before  we  left  Morar,  a  gentleman  who  had  just  paid 
a  visit  to  Jhansi  called  at  the  mission  house,  and  learning 
that  we  thought  of  going  there  to  begin  missionary  work, 
asked  if  we  had  secured  a  house.  On  being  told  that  we 
had  not  yet  done  so.  he  remarked,  "  I  am  sure  you  will 
not  be  able  to  procure  even  a  single  room  to  Uve  in,  as  a 
part  of  the  garrison  now  in  Morar  is  about  to  be  trans- 
ferred to  Jhansi,  and  every  corner  fit  for  occupancy  has 
been  engaged.''  This,  as  far  as  immediate  requirements 
were  concerned,  w^as  not  encouraging. 

On  Saturday  morning  we  continued  our  journey,  travel- 
ling in  a  box-like  conveyance,  called  a  ddk  gdri,  drawn  by 
two  very  lean  horses,  which  were  exchanged  for  others 
equally  ill-favored  after  we  had  proceeded  five  or  six  miles, 
and  there  was  little  or  no  improvement  in  the  animals  as 
we  continued  our  journey.  This  was  a  fair  specimen  of 
the  kind  of  provision  made  for  European  travellers  before 
the  days  of  railways.     The  road,  however,  was  one  of  the 


IN    THE   HEART   OF   INDIA.  99 

best,  being  one  of  the  principal  thoroughfares  of  Central- 
India. 

A  few  miles  from  Morar  we  skirted  the  Lashkar,  pass-  , 
ing  on  the  right,  extensive  grounds  enclosed  by  a  high 
stonewall.  In  the  midst  of  these  grounds,  called  Phul  : 
Bdgh  (Flower  Garden),  stood  the  fine  new  palace  of  the 
Maharaja  of  Gwalior.  Many  of  the  people  whom  we 
passed  in  the  vicinity  of  Gwalior  carried  arms,  the  most 
usual  weapon  being  a  short  sword,  a  custom  handed 
down  from  less  peaceful  times.  The  country  between 
Morar  and  Jhansi  is  for  the  most  part  wild  and  desolate. 
The  one  walled  city  and  the  few  villages  which  we  passed 
on  the  way  alleviated  but  little  the  dreariness  of  our  jour- 
ney of  sixty-five  miles,  which  w^as  not  ended  until  long 
after  nightfall.  Eecalling  the  sight  of  the  guarded  mail- 
cart,  as  the  daylight  faded  into  darkness,  a  feeling  of 
timidity  as  well  as  of  weariness  made  me  anxious  to 
arrive  at  our  destination,  and  it  was  to  me  no  little  relief 
to  see  in  the  moonlight  the  gleam  of  the  white  roads 
as  we  entered  the  civil  station  of  Jhansi.  After  passing 
several  residences  we  halted  before  the  dak  bungalow  (as 
the  travellers'  rest-house  is  called),  a  long  one-storied 
building  with  a  veranda  across  the  entire  front.  Here 
we  were  glad  to  find  shelter  and  rest. 

Early  the  following  morning  we  looked  out  with  in- 
terested eyes  upon  our  surroundings.  The  impression  was 
a  pleasant  one.  From  the  man  in  charge  of  the  rest- 
house  we  asked  if  there  was  an  English  church  in  the 
place.  As  there  had  long  been  a  British  Cantonment  in 
Jhansi,  it  was  not  likely  that  the  British  soldiers  quar- 
tered there  would  be  left  without  a  chaplain,  and  there 
was  every  probability  that  a  church  would  also  be  found 
there. 

"Yes,  very  near  at  hand."  the  rest-house  servant  re- 


100  IN    THE    HEART    OF    INDIA. 

plied.  *'  What  is  the  hour  for  the  morning  service  ?  "  we 
next  asked.  The  man  did  not  know,  but  said  he  would 
at  once  ascertain.  He  went  off  to  inquire,  and  soon  re- 
turned to  say  that  the  church  service  would  begin  at 
half-past  ten  o'clock.  We  accordingly  went  at  that  time, 
and  as  we  entered  the  church,  a  soldier  who  was  occupied 
in  furnishing  the  pews  with  hymn-books,  said  to  my 
husband,  "You  are  early,  Sir,  as  the  hour  for  service 
is  eleven  o'clock."  Seats  were  shown  us,  and  as  we 
were  waiting  alone  in  the  church,  the  chaplain  came  out 
of  the  vestry.  Seeing  us  he  halted  a  moment,  and  then 
came  forward  and  greeted  us  pleasantly.  After  introduc- 
tions had  been  exchanged,  the  chaplain  showed  his 
friendliness  by  asking  my  husband  to  read  the  lessons 
for  the  day. 

Soon  after  we  had  returned  to  the  rest-house  at  the 
close  of  the  service,  a  servant  put  into  my  hands  a  note 
from  our  newly-made  acquaintance,  inviting  us  to  dine 
with  him.  "  A  traveller's  bungalow,"  he  wrote;  **is,  I 
know,  a  dreary  place  in  which  to  spend  the  Sabbath.  I 
am  a  bachelor,  and  quite  alone,  and  it  will  give  me  much 
pleasure  if  you  will  dine  with  me  this  evening." 

We  gratefully  accepted  the  kind  invitation,  and  at  the 
close  of  the  evening  service  in  the  church,  walked  with 
our  friend  a  short  distance  to  his  modest  home. 
While  sitting  at  the  dinner  table,  our  host  men- 
tioned by  name  some  of  the  people  of  his  charge 
who  had  been  a  help  to  him  in  his  work.  Among  them 
was  a  judge  who  had  been  several  years  in  Jhansi  on 
special  duty,  and  was  about  to  leave.  Instantly  the 
thought  came,  'It  may  be  we  shall  now  have  a  house.' 
When  an  English  official  is  transferred  from  one  station 
to  another,  the  house  he  has  occupied  usually  falls  to  his 
successor,  and  certain  houses  in  a  civil  station  are  known. 


IN    THE    HEART   OF   INDIA.  101 

as  the  commissioner's  house,  the  collector's  house,  the 
judge's  house,  etc.  The  gentleman,  whose  anticipated 
departure  the  chaplain  was  lamenting,  would  not  be 
succeeded  by  another,  as  the  work  he  had  been  ap- 
pointed to  do  would  be  completed  at  the  time  of  his 
departure.  There  was  therefore  the  more  likelihood  that 
we  should  be  able  to  secure  the  house  which  he  was 
about  to  vacate. 

Early  on  Monday  morning  my  husband  called  on  the 
judge  to  ask  if  the  bungalow  he  was  occupying  had  been 
let  to  any  other  party.     Eeceiving  a  negative  reply,  he 
next  inquired  who  w^as  the  owner  of  the  property,  and 
was  delighted  to  learn  that  the  gentleman  to  whom  the 
bungalow  belonged  was  not  only  an  acquaintance  but  a 
friend  of  ours.     Of  all  the  houses  in  the  civil  station  this 
one  then  seemed  to  be  what  it  has  since  proved  to  be, 
the  one  best  suited  to  our  purpose,  as  there  was  sufficient 
land  connected  with  it,  and  it  was  well  situated  in  refer- 
ence to  the  native  city.     Without  delay  our  friend  was 
asked  by  telegram  whether  he  would  let  his  house  to  the 
mission,  if   when   vacated  by   the  present  occupant,  it 
should  be  required  by  us.    To  our  joy  an  affirmative  reply 
was  received  ;  and  we  could  not  but  feel  that  our  going  to 
the  church  that  Lord's  Day  morning  at  half -past   ten 
instead  of  eleven  o'clock  was  providential,  for  had  we  not 
gone  at  that  time,  we  might  not  have  met  the  chaplain, 
and  might  not  otherwise  have  obtained  the  information, 
which  led  to  our  securing,  at  first  on  rent,  and  later  by 
purchase,  the  bungalow  which  was  to  become  our  home. 
Provisional   arrangement    for   a   house   having  been 
satisfactorily  made,  the  remainder  of  Monday  w^as  spent 
in  exploration.     Wishing  to  pay  a  visit  to  the  fort,  in 
order  that  from  that  commanding  height  we  might  view 
the  city  and  the  surrounding  country,  we  were  informed 


102  IN    THE    HEART    OF    INDIA. 

that  it  would  be  necessary  to  obtain  permission  from  the 
agent  of  the  Maharaja  Scindia,  who  resided  in  the  city. 
This  obtained,  we  climbed  the  steep  ascent  leading  to 
the  entrance  of  the  fort,  passed  through  the  massive 
gate,  and  from  the  ramparts  looked  down  upon  the  city 
on  one  side,  and  the  English  Civil  Station  and  the  Canton- 
ment on  the  other,'  The  view  was  very  wide,  and  very 
fair.  The  city  was  well-built,  and  tlie  great  number  of 
trees  within  the  city  limits  formed  a  marked  feature  of 
the  beautiful  picture  before  us.  The  great  amount 
of  foliage  in  the  inhabited  area  was  all  the  more  striking 
because  of  the  almost  total  absence  of  trees  or  of  verdure 
of  any  kind  in  the  plain  which  stretched  away  beyond  the 
city  wall.  Here  and  there  we  saw  the  domes  and 
pinnacles  of  temples  and  the  minarets  of  mosques.  Among 
the  humbler  abodes  of  the  people  there  were  not  wanting, 
some  stately  residences,  the  most  conspicuous  of  the  latter 
being  the  palace  whose  last  royal  occupant  was  the 
famous  Eani.  In  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  city 
were  miniature  lakes,  and  picturesque  hills  and  crags. 
Standing  out  in  bold  relief  we  saw  a  rocky  eminence 
which  we  were  afterwards  told  bore  the  name  of  "Re- 
tribution Hill."  The  white  bungalows  occupied  by  the 
European  residents,  the  barracks  of  the  British  Canton- 
ment, and  the  English  church  were  situated  towards  the 
south.  The  palaces  and  temples  of  the  once  great  city 
of  Orcha,  the  capital  of  the  Bundela  Kings,  six  miles- 
from  Jhansi,  as  also  the  castle  of  Burwa  Sagar,  twelve 
miles  distant,  could  be  seen.  We  were  told  that  on  a 
clear  day  the  palaces  of  Datia,  a  walled  city  of  30,000 
inhabitants,  could  al^o  be  seen.  In  the  distance  were 
ranges  of  low  hills,  and  here  and  there  a  separate  hill 
crowned  with  a  ruined  fortification. 

The  interior  of  the  fort  was  in  a   ruinous  condition. 


IN    THE    HEART   OF  INDIA.  103 

A  few  antiquated  and  rusty  cannons  were  lying  about. 
One  of  the  lower  portions  of  the  fort  was  being  used  as  a 
prison.  We  could  see  the  prisoners,  and  hear  the  sound  of 
the  clanking  of  their  chains.  From  one  of  the  towers  of 
the  fort  fluttered  the  tattered  ensign  of  the  Maharaja 
Scindia.  The  fort  and  the  high  massive  wall  of  the  city 
bore  every  appearance  of  belonging  to  another  age. 
Toward  the  south  could  be  seen  the  breach  in  the  wall 
through  which  the  British  troops  forced  an  entrance  in 
1858,  when  Jhansi  was  retaken  by  Sir  Hugh  Rose.  This 
had  been  but  partially  filled  up,  and  to  this  day  the 
battered  Mamelon  remains  in  much  the  same  condition 
as  when  it  was  wrested  from  the  rebel  sepoys. 

The  view  before  us,  though  in  many  respects  most 
interesting,  was  not  unattended  with  a  depressing  effect,  as 
we  were  looking  out  upon  the  densest  heathenism,  in  the 
very  centre  of  an  idolatrous  land.  In  this  city  there  was 
not,  as  far  as  we  knew,  any  Christian  influence  at  work, 
and  our  subsequent  acquaintance  with  the  place  proved 
that  our  surmise  as  to  the  total  absence  of  Christian  life 
and  light  in  the  midst  of  this  heathen  darkness  was 
correct.  As  to  the  British  residents  in  the  Civil  Station 
and  the  Cantonment,  their  interests,  their  duties  and  their 
recreations  all  tended  to  keep  them  aloof  from  the  inhab- 
itants of  the  native  city,  which  was  to  rjQost  of  them 
practically  a  terra  incognita.  That  the  city  of  Jhansi  was 
under  native  rule,  that  it  was  surrounded  by  a  wall,  that 
aside  from  the  peculiar  architecture  of  its  buildings  it 
offered  no  attractions  to  those  who  were  familiar  with 
Indian  cities,  that  most  of  the  roads  within  the  walls  were 
unfit  for  wheeled  vehicles,  and  that  more  or  less  dislike  of 
Europeans  was  still  felt  by  many  of  the  inhabitants  of 
the  city,  accounted  for  the  fact  that  it  was  seldom  if 
ever  visited  by  the  foreigners  at  its  doors. 


104  IN   THE   HEART   OF   INDIA. 

Missionaries  are  frequently  told  by  those  who  hear 
from  them  the  Gospel  message,  as  afterwards  in  the 
tThansi  field  we  were  told  by  some  to  whom  we  gave  it, 
that  they  had  never  before  heard  it,  but  as  this  is  often 
said  by  those  who  hear  but  do  not  heed,  too  ready  credence 
should  not  be  given  to  such  declarations ;  for  sadly 
true  it  is  that  many  of  those  to  whom  the  Gospel  is 
preached  in  this  land  remain  after  their  first  hearing  of 
it  as  destitute  of  the  knowledge  of  Christ  as  if  they  had 
never  heard  His  name.  What  is  essential  to  the  real 
evangelisation  of  the  masses  of  Indian  heathendom  is  that 
they  be  taught  as  children  by  those  who  can  live  among 
them  and  give  them  "  line  upon  line  "  and  "  precept  upon 
precept."  This  was  the  need  which  existed  in  Jhansi  at 
the  time  of  our  visit,  and  it  is  safe  to  sa^y  that  a  more 
needy  field  could  not  be  found  anywhere  in  India. 

We  were  thankful  to  know  that  it  could  not  be  said  at 
the  time  of  our  coming  to  Jhansi,  that  the  agents  of  the 
Furrukhabad  Mission  were  the  only  persons  who  had 
ever  preached  the  Gospel  in  this  city.  It  was  interest- 
ing to  be  told  of  a  British  government  official,  a  Dr.  B., 
once  stationed  in  Jhansi,  that  he  was  accustomed  to 
preach  Christ  publicly  in  the  native  city. 

An  instance  of  earnest  Christian  work  done  in  Jhansi 
before  there  was  a  single  missionary  in  the  whole  of 
Bundelkhand  deserves  special  mention  in  this  connection. 
Dr.  James  George  Kemp,  who  entered  the  service  of  the 
British  East  India  Company  as  an  army  surgeon  in 
1845,  was  in  1856  ordered  to  join  the  Irregular  Cav^alry 
at  Jhansi.  As  he  had  done  in  other  places  where  he  had 
been  stationed  in  India,  so  here  he  sought  the  spiritual 
aood  of  all  with  whom  he  came  in  contact,  whether 
Europeans,  or  the  people  of  the  land.  At  Jhansi  he  was 
the  instrument  used  of  God  in  the  conversion  of  a  vener- 


106  IN    THE    HEART    OF   INDIA. 

dered  for  the  Christian  faith."  Mrs.  Kemp  closed  her 
letter  with  these  words  concerning  herself,  "  Would  that 
I  had  known  Jesus  while  my  husband  lived !  It  needed 
his  death  at  the  age  of  only  forty  years  to  open  my  eyes 
to  opportunities  lost  and  priceless  time  wasted.  I  had  to 
go  through  a  furnace  of  fire  before  my  selfish  life  was 
changed.  Why  do  I  tell  you  all  this  ?  Only  that  you 
may  see  how  deep  an  interest  I  feel  in  your  work.  I 
know  that  the  Christless  lives  of  our  English  too  often 
check  the  spread  of  the  Gospel.  I  cannot  help  much  with 
money,  but  tell  me  if  I  can  do  anything,  and  remember 
that  I  am  thinking  of  you,  and  will  pray  for  you." 

Before  the  arrival  of  the  other  members  of  the  com- 
mittee we  had  become  quite  well  acquainted  with  Jhansi. 
When  all  had  come,  a  survey  of  the  situation  was  made 
by  the  four  members  of  the  committee  collectively,  and 
it  was  unanimously  decided  to  recommend  that  Jhansi 
should  by  all  means  be  occupied  as  a  mission  station, 
and  the  reasons  for  this  decision  were  set  forth  in  a  paper 
drawn  up  by  the  senior  member  of  the  committee,  the 
Eev.  J.  S.  Woodside,  and  signed  by  the  other  members 
of  the  committee,  the  Rev.  Thomas  Tracy,  the  Rev. 
George  A.  Seeley,  and  my  husband,  before  we  left  Jhansi. 
This  paper  was  presented  to  the  mission,  and  a  copy  of 
the  same  was  sent  to  our  Board  in  New  "York. 

On  our  return  journey  to  Allahabad  we  paid  a  visit  to 
Aligarh,  where  resided  the  owner  of  the  house  in  Jhansi, 
which  we  had  secured  conditionally.  We  wished  to 
ascertain  if  the  property  could  be  purchased,  in  case  the 
mission  should  agree  to  the  recommendation  of  the 
committee,  and  our  Board  in  America  should  sanction 
the  proposed  enlargement  of  our  bounds.  We  found 
the  owner  of  the  house  interested  in  the  proposal  to 
make   Jhansi   a  station   of  our  mission,  but  not  at  all 


IN    THE    HEART    OF    INDIA.  107 

anxious  to  dispose  of  his  property  there.  "  The  place," 
he  said,  "  will  soon  be  an  important  railway  centre,  and 
in  consequence  the  value  of  property  in  Jhansi  will  be 
greatly  enhanced."  He,  however,  told  us  that  should  the 
proposition  to  occupy  Jhansi  permanently  be  favorably 
received,  he  would  sell  the  house  to  us,  and  the  price- 
was  named,  a  very  moderate  one.  He  also  agreed  ta- 
wait  until  the  following  autumn  for  the  decision  of  the 
Home  authorities. 


X. 

OUR  APPOINTMENT  AND  REMOVAL  TO 
JHANSI. 

When  the  paper  drawn  up  by  the  committee.,  recom- 
mending that  Jhansi  be  made  one  of  our  stations,  was 
presented  to  the  mission,  opinion  regarding  it  was 
divided.  The  depleted  state  of  ihe  treasury  in  New 
York,  and  the  small  hope  of  improvement  in  its  condition 
for  some  time  to  come,  led  some  members  of  the  mission 
to  feel  that  the  proposal  to  extend  our  territory  was 
inopportune.  Others  thought  that  as  Jhansi  belonged 
to  that  political  division  of  India — the  then  North-West 
Provinces — in  which  lay  all  the  stations  of  the  Furrukha- 
bad  Mission,  except  Gwalior,  and  as  it  had  been  occupied 
by  us  as  an  out-station  of  Etawah,  and  had  not  been 
abandoned  by  the  mission,  although  the  agents  who  had 
been  at  work  there  had  been  withdrawn  for  reasons 
already  mentioned,  this  t:eld  had  a  special  claim  upon 
us.  This  was  the  view  taken  by  the  majority  of  the 
mission,  and  accordingly  ic  was  decided  that  a  missionary 
should  be  sent  there  without  waiting  for  sanction  from 
the  Board,  it  being  confidently  expected  that  our  action 
when  explained  to  the  Home  authorities  would  meet 
with  their  approval. 

When  this  decision  was  reached,  and  we  had  been 
appointed  to  Jhansi,  we  began  without  delay  to  prepare 
for  our   removal  from  Allahabad.     Household  furniture 


IN    THK    UKAUl     OK    INDIA.  LOU 

"was  not  at  that  time  procurabJe  in  Jhansi  ;  it  wan  i\tv.n'- 
fore  neccBBary  that  we  should  take  with  us  all  such 
articles  as  v/ould  he  raqmrad  for  the  furnishing  of  our 
new  ahotle.  These  v/itli  our  other  possessions  were  sent 
by  rail  from  Allahabad  to  Gwalior,  and  from  thence  werci- 
convijyed  by  carts  to  Jhansi.  By  this  latter  mode  of 
transportation  articles  of  furniture  artj-  especially  liable 
to  be  injured,  if  the  carts  are  not  carefully  loaded. 

The  loading  was  not  therefore  left  entirely  to  the 
cartnjen,  hut  we  gave  to  it  our  personal  supervision  on 
our  arrival  at  Gwalior.  Among  the  articles  which  we 
pri;:ed  were  some  wicker  chairs  of  Indian  manufacture, 
especially  suited  to  a  hot  climate.  These  we  had  fastened 
to  the  carts  in  such  a  way  as  seemed  likely  to  ensure 
their  safe  conveyance. 

At  an  early  hour  the  next  morning  the  little  caravan 
conveying  our  household  goods  moved  ofiP  from  the 
Gwalior  railway  station,  and  we  watched  it  a  few 
moments  as  it  crept  slowly  along  the  road  in  the  direction 
of  Jhansi.  Then  we  returned  to  the  mission  house  where 
we  breakfasted  ;  after  which,  gathering  together  our 
packages  and  bundles  of  sorts,  we  climbed  into  the 
clumsy  dak  gdrt  and  continued  our  journey. 

When  we  had  procficded  but  a  few  miles,  looking  out 
we  saw  with  surprise  our  carts  drawn  up  together  by  the 
roadside,  and  the  oxen,  out- spanned,  munching  chaff 
most  contentedly.  Small  fires  had  been  kindled  by  the 
cartmen,  showing  that  they  intended  waiting  at  this 
place  to  prepare  their  food  for  the  day.  They  were  not,^ 
however,  according  to  custom  resting  on  their  haunches 
around  their  fires,  but  were  reclining  in  free  and  easy 
fashion  in  our  wicker  chairs.  Not  expecting  us  to  follow 
them  so  closely,  they  had  thought  they  could  safely  take 
the  opportunity  to  enjoy  a  luxury.     When  our  convey- 


llO"  I^    THE    HEART    OF   INDIA. 

ance  came  suddenly  into  view  they  were  startled  out  of 
their  repose,  and  immediately  changing  their  prograrame^ 
treated  us  to  some  very  lively  gymnastic  exercises. 
These  nimble  Asiatics  could  vacate  their  seats  in  a 
twinkling,  but  as  they  could  not  so  quickly  replace  the 
chairs  upon  the  carts,  these  remained  mute  witnesses  of 
their  meddling  propensities.  How  many  other  times, 
'during  the  journey  our  much-prized  chairs  were  thus, 
used  we  had  no  means  of  knowing.  The  value  of  these 
articles  of  furniture  was  not  enhanced  by  such  close 
contact  wdth  unwashed  humanity. 

On  our  arrival  in  Jhansi  we  found  that  the  judge  who 
occupied  the  house  we  had  secured,  would  be  unable 
to  vacate  it  at  the  end  of  February,  as  he  had  expected 
to  do,  since  his  official  duties  would  detain  him  still 
another  month  in  Jhansi.  It  therefore  became  necessary 
that  we  should  change  somew^hat  the  plans  we  had  made  . 
for  the  month  of  March.  It  had  been  arranged  that  I 
should  remain  in  Jhansi,  and  put  our  house  in  order, 
while  my  husband  would  go  to  Benares  for  a  month's  work 
with  a  committee  engaged  on  the  revision  of  the  Hindi 
New  Testament.  But  as  that  part  of  the  programme 
which  concerned  me  could  not  be  carried  out,  it  seemed 
best  that  I  should  accompany  my  husband.  We  there- 
fore arranged  for  the  storage  of  our  goods  until  our 
return,  and  then  set  off  on  our  journey  to  Benares. 

Instead  of  going  via  Gwalior,  we  went  via  Cawnpore, , 
though  this  shorter  route  involved  a  journey  by  dale  gdri , 
of  twenty-four  hours,  covering  a  distance  of  137  miles. 
A  level  surface,  extending  the  whole  length  of  our  rude 
conveyance,  was  formed  by  covering  with  a  board  the 
space  between  the  two  seats,  called  the  "  well,"  and 
spreading  over  this  surface  a  mattress,  we  were  able  to 
recline  and  secure  a  little  rest  at  night.     At  dista,nces  of 


IN    THE    HEART   OF   INDIA.  Ill 

five  or  six  miles  our  horses  were  changed  according  to 
-custom.  Sometimes  the  fi'esh  animals  moved  off  prompt- 
ly ;  at  other  times  they  refused  to  stir  until  forced  to  do 
-so  hy  pitiless  beating.  We  spent  a  weary  night.  A  little, 
after  noon  of  the  following  day  we  had  passed  the  105th 
mile  stone.  About  this  time  a  descent  in  the  road  caused 
our  horses  to  quicken  their  pace  to  such  an  extent  that 
my  husband  begatr  to  fear  for  our  safety,  for  he  had  pre- 
viously observed  that  one  of  the  wheels  of  our  gdri  was 
in  an  extremely  rickety  condition.  Putting  his  head  out 
of  the  window  as  quickly  as  possible  to  see  whether  it 
was  likely  to  survive  the  added  strain  put  upon  it,  he 
saw  at  that  instant  the  spokes  flying  out  of  it.  In  con- 
sequence our  conveyance  overturned,  but  we  escaped 
injury.  When  we  had  extricated  ourselves,  and  the 
horses  had  been  released,  the  driver  after  pausino-  a 
■sufficient  time  to  enable  him  fully  to  take  in  the  situation, 
turned  the  heads  of  the  animals  in  the  direction  from 
which  we  had  come,  and  started  off  with  them,  leavino- 
the  wrecked  odrl  by  the  roadside. 

"Where  are  you  going?"  asked  my  husband.  The 
man  named  a  town  fifteen  miles  distant,  which  we  had 
passed  three  hours  before.  "When  will  you  return?  " 
was  next  asked.  "  To-morrow  morning,"  was  coolly 
answered.  For  us  the  situation  was  unpleasant  in  the 
■extreme.  We  were  far  from  any  town,  and  without 
shelter  from  the  mid-day  sun.  Only  the  white  limestone 
road  with  its  dazzling  glare  stretched  before  and  behind. 
Presently  a  man  passed  along,  giving  us  only  a  glance, 
as  if  the  sigho  was  by  no  means  an  unusual  one. 

"  Is  there  a  bungalow  anywhere  in  the  vicinity  ?  "  asked 
my  husband.  A  strange  question,  it  seemed  to  me,  to 
.ask  ;  for  we  were  in  a  region,  as  I  supposed,  far  from  any 
European  habitation,  and  I  was  amazed  when  the  man 


112  IN    THE    HEART    OF    INDIA. 

answered,  "  Yes,  Sahib,'-'  just  beyond  that  little  knoll," 
pointing  to  a  slight  eminence  but  a  short  distance  from  the 
scene  of  our  catastrophe,  "  lives  Mears  Sahib."  Having 
given  this  information  the  man  went  on  his  way. 

The  railway  line  between  Jhansi  and  Cawnpore  was 
at  this  time  under  construction.  Sections  of  it  had  been 
put  in  charge  of  engineers,  and  for  their  accommodation 
small  bungalows  had  been  built  at  convenient  distances. 
It  was  one  of  these  bungalows  which,  happily  for  us,  was 
near  at  hand.  Leaving  me  in  charge  of  our  possessions, 
my  husband  made  his  way  to  it.  The  engineer  was  at 
home,  and  after  listening  to  my  husband's  story,  replied 
cheerily,  "  You  are  in  luck.  I  am  about  to  send  a  con- 
struction train  to  Cawnpore,  and  1  will  give  an  order 
allowing  you  to  travel  by  it.  The  railway  station  is  two 
miles  from  here,  and  I  will  send  you  there  in  my  trap." 
He  then  invited  my  husband  to  bring  me  ovei'  for  a  cup 
of  tea. 

On  his  return  my  husband  found  me  sitting  forlornly 
on  one  of  our  boxes  shaded  from  the  glaring  sun  by  a 
large  umbrella  covered  with  white,  bat  bis  face  was 
beaming,  for  he  had  good  news  to  communicate. 

The  "  trap "  speedily  arrived,  and  without  waiting 
for  any  refreshment  we  were  soon  on  our  way  to  the 
railway  station.  It  was  unfinished,  but  afforded  shelter 
while  we  waited  for  the  construction  train  to  be  in 
readiness. 

Soon  after  we  had  taken  our  seats  in  one  of  the 
**  wagons,"  the  engineer  and  his  wife  passed  by  on  a 
troUv.  He  was  out  inspecting  that  section  of  the  line 
for  which  he  was  responsible.  Lifting  his  hat  when  the 
trolly  was  opposite  us,  my  husband  said,  '*  We  are  greatly 

*  A  term  of  respect  used  in  addressing  Europeans  or  in  speaking 
of  them. 


IN   THE   HEART   OF   INDIA.  113 

indebted  to  ycu."     "  Not  at  all,  not  at  all  ;  you  are  in 
luck,"  was  the  answer  that  floated  back  to  us. 

We  reached  Cawnpore  in  time  for  the  train  that  was  to 
convey  us  to  the  end  of  our  journey,  and  with  less  fatigue 
than  if  we  had  travelled  the  entire  distance  in  the  con- 
veyance in  which  we  had  left  Jhansi. 

As  the  circumstances  of  our  sojourn  in  Benares  were  of 
a  unique  character,  we  shall  digress  briefly  to  relate  them. 
Benares  is  the  holy  city  of  the  Hindus,  as  Jerasalem  was 
and  still  is  of  the  Jews,  and  as  Mecca  is  of  the  Mahome- 
dans.  There  is  no  authentic  account  of  its  origin,  for 
the  people  of  India  are  not  historians,  but  it  is  a  city  of 
great  antiquity.  Gautama,  the  founder  of  Buddhism,  is 
supposed  to  have  lived  about  the  sixth  century  before 
Christ,  and  he  chose  this  city  as  the  centre  from  which  to 
disseminate  the  new  faith.  Benares  must  therefore  have 
been  at  that  time  a  great  and  important  city.  It  is 
situated  on  the  northern  bank  of  the  river  Ganges,  on  a 
blulf  one  hundred  feet  above  the  water.  There  are  fifty 
principal  flights  of  steps  leading  down  to  the  river  to 
facilitate  bathing,  for  to  this  place  come  pilgrims  from  all 
parts  of  India  to  bathe  in  the  sacred  stream,  hoping  thus 
to  wash  away  the  stain  of  sin.  Notable  among  the 
buildings  on  the  bank  of  the  river  are  the  spacious  resi- 
dences, several  stories  in  height,  which  Indian  princes  and 
noblemen  have  built  for  their  own  accommodation  or  the 
accommodation  of  their  friends  when  on  pilgrimage  to 
the  holy  city.  The  Maharaja  of  Vizianagram,  a  South 
India  prince,  has  a  fine  residence  in  Benares,  not 
however  on  the  river  bank,  but  in  that  suburb  of  the 
city  where  the  Europeans  live.  This  house,  which  bears 
the  name  of  "  Windsor  Castle,"  stands  in  the  midst  of 
extensive  and  well-kept  grounds.  Here  its  owner  enter- 
tains both  Indian  and  European  guests,   and  here  the 

8 


114  IN   THE    HEART   OF   INDIA. 

members  of  the  Hindi  New  Testament  Eevision  Com- 
mittee, who  came  from  other  cities,  found  a  home  during 
the  time  they  were  occupied  in  the  work  which  had 
brought  them  to  Benares.  A  sumptuous  table  in  EngHsh 
style  was  provided,  and  the  guests  were  told  that  they 
were  at  liberty  to  invite  friends  to  take  breakfast,  lun- 
cheon or  dinner  with  them  whenever  they  desired  to  do  so. 

That  a  company  of  Christian  missionaries,  who  were 
entire  strangers  to  their  royal  host,  who  was  a  Hindu, 
should  be  entertained  in  this  manner,  needs  explanation. 
Was  the  Maharaja  interested  in  the  work  which  the 
missionaries  were  doing  ?  There  was  no  reason  to  sup- 
pose that  he  was.  His  agent  in  Benares  was  deeply 
interested  in  the  work  of  the  committee,  and  it  was  at 
his  suggestion  that  sach  generous  hospitality  was  ex- 
tended to  them.  The  Maharaja's  ready  response  to  his 
agent's  suggestion  was  nothing  more  nor  less  than  pure 
generosity. 

When  at  the  expiration  of  a  month,  the  work  under- 
taken by  the  committee  at  this  time  had  been  completed, 
we  returned  to  Jhansi.  The  bungalow  we  had  rented 
was  now  vacant,  and  with  as  much  expedition  as  possible 
we  proceeded  to  put  our  house  in  order,  for  the  heat  was 
daily  increasing. 

During  our  absence  in  Benares  a  part  of  the  British 
troops  from  Morar  had  been  transferred  to  Jhansi,  and 
there  was  great  lack  of  house  accommodation  in  the 
Cantonment.  Houses  were  therefore  sought  for  in  the 
Civil  Station.  As  soon  as  it  became  known  that  the 
house  occupied  by  the  judge  was  soon  to  be  vacated, 
applications  for  it  were  made  to  the  owner  in  Aligarh, 
who  replied  that  the  house  had  been  secured  by  a  mis- 
sionary about  to  begin  work  there.  In  one  instance  at 
least  the  suggestion  was  made  by  an  officer  who  wished 


IN    THE    HEART   OF   INDIA.  115 

if  possible,  to  obtain  the  house,  that  we  should  waive  our 
claim  to  it  and  let  him  have  it,  as  he  had  been  transferred 
to  Jhansi  by  the  order  of  the  government,  and  must 
remain  there.  "  Why  not,"  it  was  asked,  "  postpone  the 
beginning  of  your  work  ?  "  We  however  felt  that  we  had 
been  sent  to  this  city  at  this  time  by  an  authority  higher 
than  that  of  the  Government  of  India,  and  that  the  Lord 
who  had  directed  us  to  this  place,  had  in  a  wonderful  way 
made  provision  for  our  residence  in  this  new  field  of  labor. 
By  one  person  the  owner  of  the  property  was  asked  if  he 
would  dispose  of  it  by  sale.  He  y;nswered  that  the  house 
had  been  promised  to  us,  should  we  desire  to  purchase  it. 
When  we  left  Jhansi  for  Benares,  the  flag  of  the 
Maharaja  Scindia  floated  above  the  fort.  On  our  return, 
the  British  flag  waved  there.  Never  on  any  occasion  in 
any  land,  had  our  hearts  more  rejoiced  when  we  had  seen 
the  Stars  and  Stripes,  the  flag  of  our  own  beloved  land, 
floating  in  the  breeze,  than  now  when  we  saw  the  Union 
Jack,  waving  above  the  grey  old  fort.  We  knew  that  it 
meant  protection  not  only  for  the  European  subjects  of 
Her  Majesty  the  Queen  of  England  and  Empress  of 
India,  but  justice  for  the  humblest  among  her  Indian 
subjects.  A  new  and  brighter  day  had  dawned  for  the 
citv  whose  record  had  been  so  dark. 


XI. 

BEGINNING  AT  THE  FIVE  WELLS. 

The  six  hottest  months  of  the  year — April  to  September 
inclusive, — months  the  least  favorable  for  evangelistic 
efforts  of  any  kind,  were  spent  in  Jhansi.  "We  entered 
upon  our  new  field  unaccompanied  by  helpers,  and 
for  this  reason  also  we  were  not  able  to  accomplish 
during  these  first  months  in  Jhansi  all  that  otherwise 
might  have  been  done.  Nevertheless  a  beginning  was 
made.  And  I  am  now  to  tell  how  I  found  the  first 
opening  for  v\?ork  among  the  women  of  Jhansi. 

The  Panch  Kile  or  Five  Wells  of  Jhansi  are  famed  not 
only  for  the  inexhaustible  supply  of  water  which  they 
furnish,  but  also  for  the  excellence  of  this  element  so 
essential  to  Kfe  and  comfort.  These  wells,  which  are  in 
close  proximity  to  one  another,  are  situated  in  an  open 
space  on  one  side  of  the  city,  and  are  the  property  of  the 
Municipality.  Not  only  do  the  city  authorities  allow 
free  access  to  these  wells,  but  facilities  for  drawing  the 
water  are  supplied  without  charge.  The  morning  is  the 
favorite  time  for  visits  to  these  wells,  and  troops  of 
Eebeccas  with  their  water-pots  on  their  heads,  going  to 
or  returning  from  the  wells,  may  any  day  be  seen.  The 
water  of  these  wells  is  carried  to  all  parts  of  the  city, 
and  it  is  said  that  the  number  of  women  who  go  daily  to 
the  Panch  Kne  for  their  water  supply  is  not  less  than  one 
thousand. 


.  f^ 


IN   THE    HEART   OF   INDIA.  117 

My  husband  returned  from  a  walk  in  the  cit}^  one 
morning  greatly  elated  with  the  discovery  which  he  had 
made  of  these  wells,  and  his  face  beamed  with  pleasure 
as  he  described  them  and  their  surroundings  to  me. 
Facing  the  main  entrance  to  the  open  area,  where  the 
wells  were,  was  a  large  temple.  Grand  old  ptpal 
trees,  regarded  as  sacred  by  the  Hindus,  shaded  the 
place.  Around  the  immense  wells  were  gathered  groups 
of  women  who  had  come  to  draw  water.  Each  one 
possessed  a  rope  or  cord  with  which  she  lowered  her 
vessel  to  the  water  and  drew  it  up  when  filled.  The 
whole  scene — the  white  temple,  the  fine  trees,  the  women 
busy  at  their  tasks,  many  of  whom  were  clothed  in  bright 
raiment — formed,  my  husband  told  me,  one  of  the  most 
picturesque  sights  he  had  witnessed  in  India. 

Here,  we  both  felt,  was  my  opportunity,  and  early  one 
morning  soon  after  this,  with  my  husband  as  my  guide, 
and  well  supplied  with  illustrated  papers  in  Hindi,  I 
made  my  way  to  these  wells.  It  was  a  novel  and  an 
intensely  interesting  scene  upon  which  I  looked.  Around 
the  wells,  each  from  sixteen  to  eighteen  feet  in  diameter, 
were  gathered  many  women,  not  servants  merely,  but 
evidently  women  of  the  households,  not  a  few  of  whom 
were  well  dressed  and  decked  with  ornaments.  They 
came  and  went,  a  constant  procession,  bringing  their 
empty  vessels  upon  their  heads,  and  bearing  them  away 
in  the  same  manner,  with  a  fi;eedom  of  motion  and  grace 
of  carriage  that  a  princess  might  envy.  Usually  each 
woman  carried  upon  her  bead  two  water-pots,  one  above 
the  other,  the  upper  one  resting  upon  the  mouth  of  the 
one  below  it,  while  the  lower  one  was  poised  upon  a  ring 
made  of  twine  placed  upon  the  head.  How  with  such  a 
weight  resting  upon  them  they  can  maintain  so  erect  a 
position,  and  how  they  can  preserve  so  even  a  balance 


118  IN   THE   HEART   OF   INDIA. 

when  walking,  and  chatting  together  as  they  walk,  is 
ever  a  wonder  to  us,  as  we  observe  them. 

When  my  husband  had  withdrawn  in  order  to  make  it 
easier  for  me  to  approach  the  women,  they  began,  one 
and  ail,  to  view  me  with  wondering  curiosity.  I  sought 
to  win  their  confidence  by  saying  a  pleasant  word  to  one 
and  another,  and  at  length  I  offered  to  one  of  them  one 
of  the  prettily  illustrated  papers  which  I  had  with  me. 
One  woman  who  ventured  near  shook  her  head,  but 
another  timidly  stretched  forth  her  hand,  took  the 
proffered  gift,  and  after  showing  it  to  some  others,  care- 
fully wrapped  it  in  one  corner  of  her  chaddar*  then  lifted 
her  water-jars  to  her  head  and  walked  away.  Others  then 
came  forward  for  the  papers,  and  not  women  only,  but 
priests  from  the  temple. 

I  continued  to  visit  the  five  wells,  and  through  these 
visits  and  the  papers  given  to  the  women  the  truth 
w^hich  we  desired  to  disseminate  reached  many  homes. 
As  I  passed  to  and  fro  the  people  began  to  recognise  me 
and  to  watch  for  my  coming.  It  was  pleasant  as  I  looked 
into  some  face  pressed  against  an  opening  in  a  doorway 
to  meet  an  answering  smile.  But  I  longed  to  enter  these 
homes,  to  sit  down  among  ihe  women  and  tell  them  of 
Jesus.  When  I  least  expected  it,  God  sent  a  helper  to 
be  a  pioneer  for  me  in  the  zenanas  of  this  city. 

One  day  a  native  Christian  woman  called  at  our  bunga- 
low with  her  son,  a  young  man  employed  in  one  of  the 
government  offices  in  Jhansi.  She  told  us  that  she  had 
worked  for  several  years  as  a  Bible-woman  in  Agra, 
and  that  she  had  now  come  to  spend  a  few  months 
with  her  son.  She  was  willing  to  take  employment  with 
me,  and  was  at  once  engaged. 

*  A  cloth  used  as  a  covering  for  the  upper  part  of  the  body  and 
as  a  veil  for  the  head. 


3 

Si    J 

4 

i^H*^ 

P^^ 

^^^H 

[r<^^^..^ 

•^    m  .^^•^#:. 

IN    THE    HEART    OF    INDIA.  119 

Through  this  helper,  Catharine  by  name,  an  entrance 
was  soon  obtained  for  me  into  some  of  the  houses  in  the 
city.  While  teaching  one  day  in  a  house  where  the 
women  seemed  unusually  friendly,  the  Bible- woman  said, 
"  I  know  a  foreign  lady  who  loves  the  women  of  India, 
and  who  would  be  pleased  to  visit  you."  '*  Is  she  the  lady 
we  have  seen  at  the  wells  ?  "  was  at  once  asked.  "  The 
very  same,"  was  Catharine's  answer.  "  Then  you  may 
bring  her,"  was  the  reply  given  without  hesitation. 

At  another  time  as  we  were  passing  a  certain  house, 
we  noticed  a  number  of  women  gathered  about  the  door 
smiling  and  nodding,  and  I  said  to  Catharine,  "  Do  you 
visit  this  house  ?  "  "  Not  yet,"  she  answered,  "  but  they 
are  beginning  to  know  me,  and  I  shall  soon  be  invited  to 
go  there  to  teach,"  Thus  door  after  door  was  opened  to  us. 

Once  while  visiting  a  house  in  which  several  women 
from  houses  in  the  immediate  vicinity  had  gathered  to 
meet  us,  the  announcement  was  made  that  the  master  of 
the  house  had  returned  from  his  office.  Fearing  that  he 
might  be  annoyed  at  finding  so  many  people  in  his  house, 
I  rose  to  take  leave,  but  the  wife  laid  a  detaining  hand 
upon  my  arm,  and  in  a  persuasive  voice  said,  "  Do  not 
go  yet ;  the  Bdhn  is  pleased  to  have  you  here." 

A  score  or  more  of  houses  were  at  length  opened  to 
us,  and  in  these  we  were  cordially  received.  The  women 
who  gathered  a,bcut  us  in  these  homes  listened  with 
interest  to  the  reading  of  Bible  narratives  and  such  little 
books  as  unfolded  in  simple  language  the  truth  of  the 
Gospel,  and  they  never  wearied  of  the  singing  of  Christian 
songs,  though  to  ears  attuned  to  melody  Catharine's 
rendering  of  these  would  have  been  torture.  Happily 
the  women  were  able  to  separate  the  sentiment  from  the 
unmusical  accompaniment,  and  would  sometimes  sit  with 
tears  streaming  down  their  cheeks,  and  uttering  such 


120  IN    THE    HEART    OF    INDIA. 

ejaculations  as  '*  How  true  !  how  true  !  what  a  picture 
of  the  Uves  we  lead,  hopeless  and  full  of  sorrow  !  " 

Catharine  objected  to  the  drudgery  of  teaching  the 
women  to  read.  "  Preaching,"  as  she  styled  her  attempts 
at  instruction  in  things  sacred,  was  to  her  a  much  more 
congenial  occupation.  We  had,  however,  one  pupil  so 
eager  to  learn  to  read  that  teaching  her  was  no  drudgery 
even  to  unwilling  Catharine.  We  met  her  one  day  in  a 
house  we  had  often  visited.  She  was  a  high-caste  widows 
with  an  attractive  face  and  manner.  She  listened  with 
great  interest  to  the  instruction  given  to  her  friend,  and 
as  we  were  leaving,  said  to  us,  "  Will  you  not  come 
and  teach  me  ?  "  "With  pleasure,"  we  answered  ;  *'  next 
week  when  in  this  neighborhood  we  will  come  to  your 
house."  "Come  to-day,"  she  urged;  "  not  to  give  me 
a  lesson,  for  ib  is  already  late,  but  that  I  may  show  you 
where  I  live.  You  may  not  be  able  to  find  the  house  alone." 

She  would  not  be  denied,  and  we  followed  her  through 
many  a  narrow  street  before  we  reached  her  house.  "  You 
will  be  sure  to  come  next  week  ;  you  will  not  forget," 
she  pleaded,  as  we  turned  away.  We  did  not  forget, 
and  we  found  her  -waiting  to  welcome  us.  She  took  us 
into  an  inner  room,  and  with  her  fatherless  little  boy 
sitting  on  the  mat  beside  her,  and  her  book  spread  open 
before  her,  her  fnngers  followed  the  letters  some  of  which 
she  already  knew,  and  in  a  low  musical  voice  she  went  on 
w4th  her  lesson,  apparently  regardless  of  the  presence  of 
a  tall,  stern-visaged  woman  who  hovered  about,  and  who 
seemed  to  possess  within  her  the  elements  of  a  small 
hurricane,  the  surcharged  spirit  finding  relief  in  the 
slamming  of  doors,  the  dropping  of  heavy  articles,  and 
the  occasional  uplifting  without  provocation  of  a  voice 
tremulous  with  wrath.  This  creature  sustained  to  our 
new  pupil  a  relationship  which  in  an  Indian  household 


IN    THE    HEART-  OF   INDIA.  121 

is  by  no  means  synonymous  with  motherly  tenderness. 
She  was  the  mother-in-law. 

For  some  time  we  continued  our  visits  to  this  interest- 
ing pupil,  whose  eagerness  to  learn,  and  whose  rapid 
progress  made  us  willing  to  face  her  mother-in-law, 
though  the  wrath  of  this  churlish  woman  appeared  to 
gather  strength  in  proportion  to  the  comfort  which  the 
gentle  daughter-in-law  seemed  to  draw  from  our  visits. 
We  tried  to  propitiate  her,  but  our  advances  were  coldly 
received.  Eeaching  this  house  one  day  in  our  round 
of  visits,  we  were  told  at  the  entrance,  that  our  pupil  had 
gone  to  a  distant  village  to  visit  a  relative.  Whether 
this  was  true  or  not  we  had  no  means  of  ascertaining. 
Whatever  the  fact  was,  we  were  never  again  permitted 
to  see  her.  It  was  a  sore  disappointment,  but  alas  ! 
not  an  uncommon  experience  in.  our  work. 

Among  the  members  of  another  household  which  we 
visited,  we  learned  to  feel  a  peculiar  interest  in  a  blind 
daughter,  a  woman  in  middle  life.  Whenever  we  went 
to  this  house,  women  from  the  adjoining  houses  flocked 
in.  They  would  sit  silent  and  attentive  until  some 
trivial  interruption  occurred,  which  never  failed  to  divert 
their  thoughts  from  the  lesson  ;  but  our  blind  pupil  with 
her  hands  folded  across  her  lap,  and  her  face  turned 
toward  the  speaker,  remained  to  the  end  of  the  lesson 
almost  motionless.  When  questions  were  asked  con- 
cerning the  instruction  given,  she  w^as  the  first  to  answer. 
As  is  usual  with  the  blind  she  possessed  a  remarkably 
retentive  memory.  In  the  singing  of  Christian  songs  she 
took  great  delight.  This  blind  daughter,  so  quiet  and 
gentle,  and  attentive  to  the  instruction  given,  w^as  as 
different  as  possible  from  her  bustling  mother,  who 
never  sought  in  any  way  to  hinder  our  teaching,  but 
whose   mind  seemed  engrossed  with   family  cares   and 


122  IN    THE    HEART    OF    INDIA. 

neighborhood  gossip  to  the  exclusion  of  any  aspiration 
for  things  higher  and  better. 

The  Hindi  handbills  and  illustrated  papers  which  I 
was  accustomed  to  take  with  me,  not  only  to  the  Five 
Wells,  but  to  the  houses  visited,  were  very  much  sought 
after,  and  women  who  could  not  read,  frequently  asked 
for  them  for  sons  who  at  school  had  learned  to  read. 

In  several  of  the  families  visited,  there  were  bright  lads 
who  could  read  well.  They  were  always  pleased  to  see 
us,  and  listened  with  interest  to  the  lesson  given,  enjoy- 
ing especially  the  questioning  which  followed,  as  it  gave 
them  an  opportunity  to  show  by  their  answers  how  well 
they  understood  the  instruction  given,  and  how  much  of 
it  they  remembered.  Simple  tracts,  such  as  "  The  Story 
of  Love,"  and  "  The  Lost  Sheep,"  were  in  great  request. 
Frequently  one  of  these  tracts  was  read  through  at  a 
visit,  and  sometimes  the  reader  was  a  boy  belonging  to 
the  family  visited.  To  see  her  son  thus  honored  was 
always  a  great  delight  to  the  mother,  who  listened  to  the 
reading  with  beaming  face,  while  glancing  now  and 
then  at  the  visitors  to  see  if  they  fully  appreciated  the 
attainments  of  her  cherished  boy.  Some  of  the  booklets 
were  so  frequently  read  that  the  women  were  able  to 
repeat  from  memory  the  entire  story,  the  lessons  of 
which  they  readily  grasped.  Mothers  frequently  asked 
for  an  illustrated  paper  or  a  leaflet  to  send  to  an  absent 
son,  and  if  a  book  was  asked  for,  the  price  was  gladly 
given. 

Catharine  remained  with  us  for  about  a  year,  and  not 
long  after  the  expiration  of  this  period  we  were  able  to 
place  the  zenana  teaching  on  a  better  footing  by  employ- 
ing a  European  teacher  of  long  experience,  funds  for  the 
purpose  having  been  most  opportunely  and  in  a  wonder- 
ful manner  providentially  provided. 


XII. 
FIRST  TOUR  AMONG   THE  VILLAGES. 

The  work  which  called  my  husband  to  Benares  in  the 
spring  made  it  necessary  that  he  should  be  absent  from 
home  for  more  than  a  month  during  the  autumn  of  our 
first  year  in  Jhansi.  This  time  the  New  Testament 
Eevision  Committee  met  in  NainiTal,  in  the  Himalaya 
mountains.  It  was  a  part  of  my  husband's  duty  as 
Secretary  of  this  Committee  to  make  arrangements  for 
the  entertainment  of  its  members,  and  as  I  could  material- 
ly assist  in  this  department,  I  accompanied  him.  The 
commencement  of  our  acquaintance  with  our  field  out- 
side the  city  of  Jhansi  was  therefore  delayed  until  near 
the  close  of  1886. 

There  is  much  to  be  done  in  preparation  for  even  a 
short  tour  in  the  district.  Our  dwelling  must  usually  be 
a  tent.  The  necessary  articles  of  camp  furniture  are 
made  to  fold,  in  order  that  they  may  be  more  easily 
packed  and  transported.  Cooking  utensils,  table  furni- 
ture and  articles  of  food  must  be  provided.  A  small 
stock  of  such  medicines  as  can  safely  be  administered  by 
a  non-professional,  in  most  cases  forms  a  part  of  the 
outfit  of  a  missionary  when  entering  upon  a  tour,  as  by 
the  use  of  simple  remedies  such  as  cough  mixture,  quinine, 
linament,  etc.,  he  may  relieve  physical  suffering  and 
thereby  gain  a  more  friendly  hearing  for  the  Gospel 
message.  Christian  books  and  tracts,  including,  of 
course,  the  Bible  and   Scripture   portions,   are  always 


124  IN    THE    HEART    OF    INDIA. 

carried  witb  us,  as  the  priated  page  finds  its  way  into 
homes  where  the  missionary  may  not  be  allowed  to 
enter. 

Exploration  was  one  object  of  our  first  tours  in  the 
district,  and  these  sketches  of  our  itinerations  are  written 
partly  for  the  purpose  of  enabling  others  to  see  through 
our  eyes  what  we  saw  from  day  to  day.  We  hope  there- 
fore that  our  descriptions  of  the  places  which  we  visited, 
and  of  the  people  among  whom  we  moved,  may  serve  to 
enable  our  readers  to  behold  with  some  degree  of  vivid- 
ness the  scenes  which  to  us,  as  we  first  beheld  them, 
were  so  full  of  interest. 

We  left  home  on  the  morning  of  the  22nd  of  December 
in  a  light  two- wheeled  conveyance,  and  drove  to  the 
old  ruined  city  of  Orcha,  a  distance  of  six  miles.  Two 
carts  laden  with  camp  equipage  had  been  despatched  on 
the  previous  day.  Arriving  at  the  site  on  which  once 
stood  the  populous  Bundela  capital,  we  passed  through  an 
arched  gateway  which  may  have  been  one  of  the  avenues 
by  which  the  walled  city  was  entered.  If  this  was  the 
case,  we  were  doubtless  follov/ing  the  road  trodden  of 
old  by  the  common  people  ;  for  at  a  short  distance  from 
this  avenue  was  a  far  more  imposing  entrance  which 
had  all  the  appearance  of  haviag  been  the  royal  road. 

A  large  portion  of  the  city  wall,  constructed  of 
boulders,  is  still  standing  and  is  from  eighteen  to  twenty 
feet  high.  We  drove  for  a  considerable  distance  over 
rough  ground,  in  appeai-ance  not  unlike  the  ground  out- 
side the  wall,  and  at  length  our  road  led  through  a 
narrow,  inhabited  street,  beyond  which  we  came  out 
upon  an  open  space  near  the  river  Betwa,  where  we 
found  our  encampment.  Before  us  rose  two  stately 
palaces,  which  though  they  have  been  greatly  neglected, 
still    remain    in    a   good    state    of   preservation.      The 


IN   THE   HEART   OF  INDIA.  125 

grounds  connected  with  these  palaces  are  surrounded  by 
a  wall  of  solid  masonry,  past  which,  toward  the  south, 
flows  the  "  withy-covered  "  stream,  as  its  Sanskrit  name, 
Vetravati,  signifies.  Nothing  resembling  the  willow  is, 
however,  now  to  be  found  along  the  banks  of  the  beauti- 
ful Betwa,  but  it  is  said  that  the  kind  of  reed  which 
gave  to  this  stream  its  name,  is  still  to  be  seen  at  its 
source  in  the  Vindhya  mountains  not  far  from  Bhopal. 
At  all  times  of  the  year,  except  the  rainy  season,  the  Betwa 
is  but  a  shallow  stream,  and  yet  the  quantity  of  pure 
limpid  water  which  flows  perennially  over  this  river-bed 
throughout  its  whole  extent  of  340  miles  is  so  consider- 
able, that  one  cannot  help  wondering  that  springs  affording 
such  inexhaustible  supplies  should  exist  in  the  moun- 
tains of  Central  India.  The  British  Government  by 
constructing  the  great  canal  which  is  fed  by  the  Betwa 
river  and  used  to  irrigate  a  large  extent  of  arid  country, 
has  taken  measures  to  prevent  the  water  of  this  stream 
from  running  to  waste. 

On  the  bank  of  the  river  at  Orcha,  at  a  short  distance 
from  the  palaces,  are  the  mausoleums  of  the  Bundela 
kings.  These  are  stately  structures,  the  most  imposing 
one  being  the  mausoleum  of  Bir  Singh  Deo.  These 
mausoleums  are  also  stitiee  monuments,  and  probably 
mark  the  spots  where  the  widows  of  the  kings  were 
burned  alive  with  the  dead  bodies  of  their  husbands. 
Beyond  the  boulder-strewn  river-bed  stretches  a  dense 
jungle,  and  in  the  distance  are  seen  low  ranges  of  hills, 
which  are  a  characteristic  feature  of  the  scenery  of 
Bundelkhand. 

As  my  husband  had  no  Hindustani  helpers  of  his  own, 
two  preachers  belonging  to  another  station  were  kindly 
lent  to  him  for  this  tour.  On  the  first  evening  after  our 
arrival  in  Orcha,  the  missionary  and  his  helpers  went 


126  IN    THE   HEART   OF   INDIA. 

inbo  the  town,  said  to  contain  a  population  of  about  two 
thousand  people,  who  are  scattered  here  and  there  among 
the  ruins,  to  see  if  an  audience  could  be  gathered  to 
listen  to  the  Gospel  story. 

I  was  thus  left  alone,  and  darkness  came  on  before 
the  preachers  returned.  Standing  in  the  tent  door  and 
looking  out,  I  saw  above  me  the  heavens  studded  with 
stars,  while  not  a  single  taper  glimmered  from  the 
massive  piles  before  me.  The  gloom  in  vdiich  the 
palaces  were  enshrouded  was  a  fit  emblem  of  the 
spiritual  darkness  which  had  brooded  over  this  capital 
in  the  days  of  its  kings,  and  which  to  a  very  great  ex- 
tent still  covers  this  whole  land. 

On  the  morning  following  our  arrival,  while  my 
husband  and  his  assistants  were  engaged  in  preaching, 
I  made  my  way  to  the  great  temple — the  largest  in 
North  India.  This  temple  stands  on  a  somewhat  ele- 
vated base  of  rock.  It  has  a  lofty  central  dome,  and 
groups  of  towers  elaborately  carved.  It  is  built  in  the 
form  of  a  Greek  Cross,  the  a,rms  being  united  by  the 
central  dome.  The  interior  has  fallen  into  disrepair, 
for  long  ago  ceased  alike  the  royal  patronage,  and  the 
offerings  of  throngs  of  worshippers,  which  served  to 
maintain  its  inward  splendor.  The  local  celebrity  of  this 
temple,  however,  is  still  preserved  by  a  yearly 
festival,  when  occurs  a  general  exodus  of  the.  Hindu 
population  of  the  city  of  Jhansi  for  the  purpose  of 
worshipping  at  this  shrine.  A  few  priests  still 
linger  about  the  old  temple.  One  of  these,  wrapped 
in  his  blanket,  was  sleeping  in  an  alcove.  Another 
emerged  from  an  inner  room,  looking  almost  as 
ancient  and  dilapidated  as  did  the  temple.  On  the 
stone  pavement  under  the  dome  a  fire  had  been  kindled, 
and  over  the  embers  a  little  group  were  crouching.     The 


IN    THE   HEART   OF   INDIA.  127 

figure  in  the  alcove  shook  himself  out  of  his  blanket,  and 
joined  the  group  around  the  tire,  shivering  as  he  stretch- 
ed out  his  hands  over  the  coals,  though  outside  the 
sun  was  shining  gloriously,  and  shedding  a  genial 
warmth.  In  another  corner  of  the  temple  a  venerable 
priest  was  baking  thin  cakes  of  bread  over  a  fire,  and 
as  I  passed  by  he  cried  out,  "Don't  come  near  me," 
fearing  lest  my  shadow  falling  on  his  food  should  defile  it. 

The  palaces  are  connected  with  the  town  by  a  massive 
stone  bridge,  thrown  over  a  channel  into  which,  during 
the  rainy  season,  extends  an  arm  of  the  river.  Making 
the  round  of  the  palaces  one  morning  we  noticed  that  the 
custodians  passed  without  opening  for  us  some  of  the 
upper  rooms,  and  when  we  inquired  the  reason  for  this, 
they  replied,  **  These  rooms  are  devoted  exclusively  to 
the  use  of  the  ladies  of  the  Raja's  household.  When 
they  depart;  the  Raja  himself  seals  the  doors,  and  no 
hand  but  his  ever  breaks  the  seals."  From  one  of  the 
towers  we  had  a  magnificent  view  of  river  and  fort- 
crowned  hills.  Dimly  in  the  distance  could  be  seen  the 
fort  of  Jhansi.  To  this  ancestral  capital  the  Raja  of 
Orcha  occasionally  comes  from  Tehri  with  a  great 
retinue,  and  on  such  occasions  the  palaces  are  again 
pervaded  with  an  air  of  festivity,  and  for  a  brief  period 
the  ruins  wake  from  their  slumber,  A  grand  gala-day 
for  Orcha  was  the  occurrence  of  a  recent  visit  to  this 
place  by  the  present  Governor-General  of  India,  Lord 
Curzon. 

The  present  head  of  the  Orcha  State  is  among  the 
most  enlightened  of  the  princes  of  Central  India.  It 
was  l?«tely  said  in  his  praise  that  he  was  "  conspicuous 
for  his  loyalty,  his  liberality,  and  an  earnest  desire  to 
rule  for  the  good  of  his  people."  In  recognition  of  his 
distinguishing   characteristics,   the   British   Government 


128  IN    THE    HEART    OF   INDIA. 

has  conferrefl  on  him  the  title  of  "  The  first  of  the 
Eajas  of  Bundelkhand."  Upon  the  Governor- General's 
Agent  for  Central  India  devolved  the  duty  of  investing 
this  Prince  with  the  new  honor,  and  in  the  old  capital 
the  Eaja,  accompanied  by  a  large  number  of  nobles  and 
headmen  richly  dressed,  and  attended  by  a  multitude 
of  retainers,  received  the  representative  of  the  Imperial 
Government.  A  large  company  of  guests  from  Jhansi 
and  the  neighboring  cities  were  invited  to  witness  the 
investiture.  Tents  for  the  reception  of  the  guests  w^ere 
pitched  on  the  bank  of  the  river.  The  durbar  was  held 
in  one  of  the  palaces.  At  the  conclusion  of  the  im- 
posing ceremony  the  Raja  received  his  guests  in  a  large 
and  handsome  durbar  tent,  and  by  his  side  were  his  two 
sons,  of  whom  be  is  very  proud.  The  usual  festivities 
followed,  and  when  these  were  concluded,  all  departed, 
and  Orcha  was  left  once  more  to  its  silence  and  its  gloom. 
On  the  morning  of  December  24th  we  struck  tents  at 
Orcha,  and  sending  our  carts  to  Barwa  Sagar,  the  place 
of  our  next  encampment,  drove  back  to  Jhansi  for  some 
necessary  articles,  and  to  get  our  mail.  We  spent  the 
night  in  our  bungalow,  and  drove  to  Barwa  Sagar, 
tvvehe  miles  distant,  the  following  morning.  Earely 
have  we  seen  in  India  a  more  lovely  scene  than  that 
upon  which  our  eyes  rested  on  our  arrival  at  our  new 
camp.  Our  tents  had  been  set  up  on  a  high  embank- 
ment overlooking  a  beautiful  artificial  lake.  On  the 
shores  of  the  lake  were  green  fields,  and  in  the  distance 
were  ranges  of  bilJs,  while  nearer  at  hand  were  pic- 
turesque rocky  eminences.  Overlooking  the  lake,  rose  the 
stately  castle  of  Barwa  Sagar.  There  were  grand  old 
trees  on  the  embankment  and  below  it.  In  no  more 
charming  spot  had  we  ever  passed  a  Christmas,  and 
with  hearts  overflowing   with  gratitude  for  all  the  way 


IN    THE    HEART   OF   INDIA.  129 

in  which  God  had  led  us,  we  sat  down  to  our  table  in 
our  tent.  Against  a  low  wall  a  rude  cooking-range  had 
been  built  of  stones  and  mud,  and  from  a  limited  store 
of  provisions  a  savory  dinner  had  been  prepared. 

It  was  delightful  as  the  day  was  closing  to  watch  the 
effect  of  the  sunset  upon  the  placid  lake.  The  beauty 
of  the  surrounding  country  contributed  greatly  to  the 
enchanting  scene,  while  the  grand  old  castle  near  by 
reminded  us  that  we  were  on  historic  groimd. 

My  husband  and  his  co-workers  went  into  the  town 
after  dark  to  meet  the  people.  They  took  with  them  a 
sciopticon  and  exhibited  a  number  of  Bible  pictures, 
upon  which  a  large  audience  gazed  with  delight  while 
they  listened  to  the  explanation  given  by  the  preachers. 
The  next  day  we  visited  a  school  for  boys,  and  gave 
Gospel  leaflets  in  Hindi  to  all  who  could  read.  Night 
after  night  large  crowds  gathered  around  the  preachers 
and  listened  with  eager  interest  to  their  message,  which 
the  magic-lantern  helped  to  impress  upon  their  minds. 
The  most  favorable  time  for  meeting  the  people,  and 
in  fact  almost  the  only  time  when  the  villagers  can  be 
gathered  together  in  any  considerable  number  to  listen 
to  the  preaching,  is  after  nightfall.  The  work  of  the  day 
being  over,  and  the  evening  meal  having  been  eaten, 
they  are  then  at  leisure.  Singing  always  attracts  them, 
and  most  of  our  preachers  are  able  to  sing  well  enough 
to  please  a  village  audience. 

Barwa  Sagar  is  a  well-built  town  of  6,000  inhabitants, 
and  we  were  impressed  with  its  prevailing  air  of  thrift. 
In  a  previous  chapter  mention  was  made  of  the  lakes  of 
Bundelkhand  as  forming  a  distinguishing  feature  of  this 
part  of  India.  It  was  a  delightful  experience  to  discover 
a  number  of  these  lakes  as  we  proceeded  on  our  tour,  for 
before  we  started  we  were  ignorant  of  the  existence  of  any 

9 


130  IN   THE   HEART   OF  INDIA. 

of  them  except  the  lake  of  Barwa  Sagar.  This  lake  is 
one  of  the  largest,  and  is  also  one  of  the  most  beautiful 
of  the  great  artificial  reservoirs  for  which  the  eastern  part 
of  the  Jhansi  district  is  noted.  Its  embankment,  nearly 
three -fourths  of  a  mile  long,  is  a  work  of  art.  Through- 
out its  whole  extent  stone  steps  descend  in  zigzag  form 
to  low  water-mark,  producing  a  fine  effect.  The  word 
Sagar  means  sea,  and  the  great  reservoir  is  fed  by  a 
stream  called  the  Barwa,  from  which  it  derives  its  name. 
Under  the  beneficent  rule  of  the  British,  the  waters  of 
this  lake  and  of  other  lakes  in  Bundelkhand,  are  no 
doubt  a  greater  blessing  than  formerly,  for  now  they  are 
sent  forth  in  fertilising  streams  over  wide  areas.  To  its 
lake  the  town  of  Barwa  Sagar  owes  its  abundant  and 
uninterrupted  prosperity.  Here  the  tillers  of  the  soil 
seldom  if  ever  have  to  reckon  with  drought  and  con- 
sequent famine,  which  not  unfrequently  have  been  so 
great  a  scourge  in  this  part  of  the  country.  In  the  large 
government  garden  near  the  lake  we  found  magnificent 
clusters  of  the  tall  feathery  bamboo,  long  rows  of 
plantains,  and  other  tropical  productions.  The  native 
gardener  in  charge  sent  to  our  tent  after  our  arrival  a 
present  of  fruit  and  vegetables,  together  with  a  bouquet 
of  violets,  whose  delicate  perfume  carried  us  back  in 
memory  to  a  land  beyond  the  seas. 

Our  third  camping-place  was  ten  miles  from  Barwa 
Sagar,  on  the  side  of  the  beautiful  Arjar  lake.  On  the 
embankment,  in  a  position  which  afforded  a  view  of  the 
entire  sheet  of  water  and  its  surroundings,  our  tent  was 
set  up.  This  embankment  was  constructed  in  the  17th 
century  by  one  of  the  Orcha  Kajas.  Nine  villages  in  the 
neighborhood  of  this  lake  were  visited  by  the  preachers. 
Now  and  then  a  fisherman's  tiny  boat  glided  over  the 
glassy  surface  of  the  water.    Some  excellent  fish  were 


IN    THE   HEART   OF   INDIA.  131 

brought  to  us  on  the  morning  of  our  arrival.  On  the  follow- 
ing morning  the  fishermen  again  appeared,  but  with 
empty  nets,  telling  us  that  they  had  plied  their  craft  all 
through  the  night,  but  fruitlessly.  Very  vividly  did  this 
bring  to  our  minds  those  fishermen  of  Galilee,  who  said 
to  Jesus,  "  Master,  we  toiled  all  night  and  took  nothing." 

The  preachers  strove  to  make  Christ  known  to  the 
people  with  whom  they  here  came  in  contact,  but  they 
were  deeply  impressed  with  the  fact  that  the  evangelisa- 
tion of  these  darkened  souls  would  not  be  the  work  of 
a  day  or  a  week.  They  found  these  simple  villagers 
exceedingly  friendly  and  hospitable.  They  were  ever 
ready  to  give  my  husband  water  or  milk  to  drink,  and 
even  a  Brahman  did  not  scruple  to  offer  him  drink  in  his 
own  vessel.  Indeed  among  the  people  of  this  region  it 
is  no  uncommon  thing  for  the  missionary  and  his  helpers 
after  they  have  preached  in  a  village  to  be  invited  to 
remain  a  little  longer  in  order  that  food  may  be  prepared 
for  them.  This  is  especially  noteworthy,  as  it  was  unlike 
any  thing  they  had  experienced  in  any  other  district. 

When  it  became  known  that  we  had  tracts  and  books 
in  Hindi,  numbers  of  lads  came  from  the  different  hamlets 
across  the  lake  to  get  them,  and  returned  much  pleased 
with  their  new  possessions,  to  obtain  which  they  had 
parted  with  their  hard-earned  pennies.  It  was  pleasant 
to  find  so  many  persons,  old  and  young,  who  could  read 
and  write.  When  afterwards  we  examined  the  census 
returns  of  the  government,  we  found  that  the  district  of 
Jhansi  had  a  larger  percentage  among  the  male  popula- 
tion able  to  read  and  write,  calculated  on  the  number  of 
boys  in  the  age  group  of  five  to  nine  years,  than  any 
other  district  occupied  by  our  mission.  This  was  cheering, 
for  as  readers  multiply,  the  circulation  of  the  Scriptures, 
and  of  Christian  literature  will  increase. 


132  IN   THE   HEART    OF    INDIA. 

On  the  last  day  of  the  year  we  moved  ten  miles 
further  on.  The  scenery  along  the  road  to  our  new 
camp  was  much  enjoyed,  the  contrast  between  the 
rugged  hills  on  every  side,  and  the  well-cultivated 
fields  being  very  striking.  It  was  the  time  when 
the  crops  needed  irrigation,  and  water  for  this  purpose 
was  being  raised  from  shallow  wells  by  means  of  the 
Persian  wheel.  We  could  have  pitched  our  tent  beside 
another  lake  in  one  of  the  most  picturesque  of  spots, 
the  entrance  to  the  camping-ground  being  between  giant 
cra.gs,  which  stood  like  sentinels  at  a  gap  in  a  low  range 
of  hills.  The  camping-ground  itself  was  shaded  by 
gigantic  trees.  The  place  was  in  every  respect  an  ideal 
one  for  a  few  days'  sojourn  under  canvas,  but  we  chose 
to  pass  by  the  lake,  and  take  up  our  abode  in  a  building 
which  appeared  to  have  been  at  one  time  a  temple,  but 
which  by  additions  made  to  it  had  been  converted  into  a 
rest-house  for  government  officials  chiefly,  any  traveller, 
however,  being  at  liberty  to  use  it  for  a  temporary  shelter. 
Here  the  new  year  found  us  comfortably  settled, 
green  fields  of  grain  surrounding  us  on  all  sides.  A  flight 
of  steps  conducted  us  to  an  upper  terrace  of  our  dwelling, 
and  from  this  another  flight  led  to  the  top  of  a  tower 
which  commanded  a  prospect  of  rare  loveliness. 

One  of  the  days  which  we  spent  here  was  the  Lord's 
Day,  and  in  the  large  upper  room  of  our  habitation  we 
held  our  Christian  service.  Early  in  the  morning  of 
this  day  my  husband  had  a  very  interesting  meeting  in  a 
neighboring  village,  where  in  a  room  of  one  of  the 
houses  a  goodly  number  of  men  listened  most  attentively 
while  he  discoursed  to  them  of  the  coming  to  this  world 
of  man's  Eedeemer,  of  his  life  on  earth,  and  of  his  death 
on  our  behalf.  At  the  close  of  this  meeting  one  of  the 
listeners  said,  "I  have  a  book  which  tells  all  about  this  " ; 


IN    THE    HEART    OF    INDIA.  133 

and  then  at  my  husband's  request  he  brought  it  to  show 
to  him.  It  was  the  SusamdcJuh-  (Good  News) — the  New 
Testament  in  Hindi.  He  had  bought  it  at  a  meld  (re- 
Hgious  festival)  in  Allahabad.  Thus  the  Word  of  God  in 
printed  form  had  preceded  the  visit  of  the  missionary, 
and  thus  it  finds  its  way  to  many  places  which  the 
missionary  never  visits. 

As  in  our  former  encampments,  we  found  the  people 
very  friendly,  and  we  were  often  touched  by  the  con- 
fidence which  they  placed  in  us  as  physicians,  for  by 
the  village  people  all  Europeans  are  supposed  to  know 
more  or  less  of  the  healing  art.  One  day  a  woman, 
bent  and  withered,  came  with  a  younger  woman  of  her 
household,  to  ask  if  we  could  do  anything  for  her  eyes, 
for  she  was  losing  her  sight.  A  fisherman  showed  my 
husband  a  sightless  eye,  explaining  that  he  had  lost  it 
by  an  accident  when  making  his  boat,  and  asked  if  it 
could  be  restored.  Was  it  not  precisely  thus  that  many 
came  to  Jesus  in  the  days  when  he  was  an  itinerant 
missionary  ?  And  we  read  that  they  did  not  come  in 
vain. 

We  drove  one  afternoon  to  a  small  haailet  which  lay 
at  the  foot  of  the  hills  a  mile  or  more  distant,  our  object 
being  to  see  a  settlement  of  aborigines,  of  whom  there 
are  10,000  in  the  Jhansi  district.  In  those  parts  of 
India  where  numerous  converts  have  been  won  for  Christ, 
they  have  usually  been  from  among  the  low  caste  people, 
or  from  the  aboriginal  tribes  who  have  no  caste,  and  are 
not  properly  classified  as  Hindus.  The  aborigines  in 
this  district  are  not  cultivators  of  the  soil,  and  do  com- 
paratively little  work  for  their  Hindu  neighbors.  They 
subsist  chiefly  on  what  they  are  able  to  gather  from  the 
forest.  On  the  day  of  our  visit  we  found  only  women, 
children,  and  old  men  in  the  hamlet,  the  able-bodied 


134  IN   THE   HEART   OF   INDIA. 

members  of  the  community  having  gone  to  the  other 
side  of  the  hill  to  cut  bamboos.  Their  dwellings  were 
small  huts,  whose  framework  was  formed  of  branches  of 
trees,  and  whose  covering  was  composed  of  twigs  and 
leaves.  When  we  inquired  what  they  worshipped,  a 
hideous  image  painted  in  vermilion,  and  leaning  against 
the  trunk  of  a  tree,  was  pointed  out  to  us.  What  else 
should  they  do  but  what  the  Hindus  did  ? 

As  we  drove  away  from  Kachneo  on  the  morning  of 
the  third  of  January,  we  turned  back  to  catch  yet  another 
glimpse  of  the  fair  scene.  A  drive  of  six  miles  brought 
us  to  our  next  camping-place,  the  town  of  Ranipur. 
We  went  at  once  to  the  post-office,  hoping  to  find  our 
American  letters.  A  postman,  we  were  told,  had  just 
gone  out  with  a  package  for  us,  and  was  searching  for 
our  camp.  We  pitched  our  tent  on  a  triangalar  plot  of 
ground  between  two  roads,  and  under  the  shade  of  some 
fine  trees.     Here  our  letters  reached  us. 

Ranipur  is  a  town  of  6,000  people,  with  clean  streets 
and  many  well-built  houses.  The  chief  object  of  interest 
in  the  town  is  a  very  costly  and  handsome  Jain  temple. 
Soon  after  our  arrival  a  native  official,  accompanied 
by  a  train  of  attendants,  presented  himself,  and  asked 
how  he  could  serve  us.  We  made  known  our  wants, 
which  were  promptly  supplied,  for  "  a  consideration,"  of 
course,  and  our  camp  was  soon  in  order.  In  the  evening 
the  preachers  went  forth,  and  with  the  aid  of  the  sciop- 
ticon  soon  gathered  an  interested  audience.  The  follow- 
ing morning,  soon  after  my  husband  returned  to  the 
camp  from  his  second  visit  to  the  town,  boys  and  young 
men  began  to  come  for  books.  They  were  thoroughly 
wide-awake  and  anxious  to  drive  a  hard  bargain.  Before 
the  close  of  the  day  all  the  Gospel  portions  in  our  stock 
had  been  exhausted,  not  because  of  regard  felt  for  the 


'^'^■j^-iHt'^i, 


IN   THE    HEART   OF    INDIA.  135 

Word  of  God,  for  it  was  a  new  book  to  them,  but  the 
large,  clear  type  attracted  the  eager  purchasers,  and  they 
were  pleased  to  get  a  large  number  of  pages  for  a  compar- 
atively small  price.  There  was  in  the  town  a  govern- 
ment school  for  boys  with  seventy  pupils  in  attendance, 
which  fact  accounted  for  the  ready  market  found  for 
our  books. 

**  I  want  Looke,"  meaning  the  Gospel  of  Luke,  some  of 
the  boys  said,  as  they  came  to  buy,  while  others  repeated 
the  titles  of  some  of  our  standard  tracts  as  glibly  as  if 
they  had  long  been  familiar  with  that  kind  of  literature. 
While  my  husband  was  preparing  to  go  out  in  the  even- 
ing, two  men  came  from  the  town  to  ask  if  he  would  not 
talk  to  them  again.  He  accompanied  them,  and  a  large 
audience  soon  gathered  and  listened  attentively  to  the 
addresses  given.  Greatly  to  our  regret  we  were  obliged 
to  move  on  to  our  next  halting-place  on  the  following 
day,  as  our  time  was  limited,  and  in  the  early  morning 
we  drove  to  Mau,  live  miles  distant  from  Kanipur. 

Mau  is  a  flourishing  market  town  of  16,000  inhabitants, 
with  busy  streets,  and  many  large  and  handsome  build- 
ings. Its  bazaars  are  as  fine  as  those  of  many  larger 
cities.  It  is  situated  between  two  rivers,  one  of  which 
we  crossed  as  we  entered  the  place.  Not  finding  in  the 
immediate  vicinity  of  the  town  a  convenient  and  desirable 
place  for  an  encampment,  we  drove  out  two  miles  and 
pitched  our  tent  in  a  pleasant  grove,  where  was  a  good 
well,  an  important  consideration  when  choosing  a  locality 
for  a  camp.  At  sunset  ominous  clouds  gathered  in  the 
west,  and  we  soon  heard  the  noise  of  thunder.  At  mid- 
night we  were  aroused  by  the  sound  of  a  mallet  striking 
heavily  upon  the  stakes  to  which  the  cords  of  our  tent 
were  fastened.  The  stakes  were  being  driven  deeper  into 
the  ground,  to  prevent  our  tent  from  being  blown  over  by 


136  IN    THE    HEART    OF    INDIA. 

the  wind,  whose  violence  was  rapidly  increasing.  Soon 
the  rain  descended  in  torrents,  and  the  storm  continued 
for  several  hours.  At  daybreak  our  camp  looked  dismal 
enough,  but  the  sun  struggled  through  the  clouds  before 
the  morning  had  far  advanced,  and  in  consequence,  the 
dreariness  with  which  the  day  began,  soon  disappeared, 
and  every  thing  again  wore  a  cheerful  aspect. 

In  the  afternoon  we  drove  to  the  town  and  visited  a 
school  for  boys.  As  at  Eanipur,  so  here  the  schoolboys 
were  eager  to  obtain  our  books,  many  of  which  were  left 
in  their  possession.  We  found  that  the  heavy  rainfall  of 
the  previous  night  had  swept  away  the  river-crossings,  and 
that  consequently  the  only  approach  to  the  town  then 
open,  was  the  one  by  which  we  had  come  from  our 
camp.  This  made  us  appreciate  our  position  more  than 
ever,  forbad  we  pitched  our  tents  on  the  usual  camping- 
ground  on  the  other  side  of  the  river,  we  should  have 
been  entirely  cut  off  from  the  town,  and  our  work  would 
have  been  at  a  standstill.  As  it  was,  the  storm  and  the 
dampness  which  it  occasioned  hindered  considerably  our 
out-of-door  preaching. 

During  one  of  the  days  spent  in  Mau  while  I  was  with 
my  husband  in  the  town,  two  little  sons  of  one  of  the 
native  officials  came  to  make  their  salaams  to  us.  They 
were  handsome  boys,  richly  dressed,  and  very  polite  in 
demeanor.  An  oriental  is  an  adept  in  the  art  of  conceal- 
ing his  feelings.  You  cannot  tell  how  much  weight  to 
attach  to  his  words,  and  you  will  search  in  vain  to  find 
through  any  change  in  his  countenance  the  key  to  his 
heart.  He  begins  in  childhood  his  lessons  in  self- 
control.  As  the  sons  of  the  official  stood  beside  us, 
attended  by  their  servant,  some  one  in  the  company, 
pointing  to  the  younger  of  the  two  brothers,  said,  **  That 
boy   is  wonderfully  clever."     We  looked  at  the  child, 


IN    THE    HEART   OF   INDIA.  137 

apparently  about  eight  years  of  age,  to  see  what  effect 
this  flattery  would  have  upon  him,  but  he  ssemed  as  one 
who  did  not  hear.  Just  then  a  wandering  musician 
appeared  upon  the  scene,  having  with  him  a  boy  ten  or 
eleven  years  of  age.  After  making  alow  obeisance,  this 
boy  began  to  sing.  He  had  a  voice  of  peculiar  sweetness, 
and  his  slender  fingers  swept  the  strings  of  his  instru- 
ment with  no  mean  skill.  He  did  not  deign  to  cast  even 
a  glance  toward  the  handsomely  dressed  children,  and 
they  in  their  self-contained  importance  and  imperturb- 
able equanimity,  ignored  both  him  and  his  music,  and 
made  their  adieus  in  the  middle  of  his  performance. 

On  our  return  journey  we  travelled  as  far  as  Barwa 
Sagar  by  the  macadamised  road,  which  runs  parallel  to 
the  mud  road  by  which  we  had  gone  to  Mau.  This 
enabled  us  to  visit  additional  villages  on  our  way  back  to 
Jhansi.  At  the  end  of  each  stage  we  found  comfortable 
rest-houses,  which  we  were  glad  to  occupy,  as  our  stay 
in  each  place  was  short.  Arriving  at  a  post-town  at  the 
end  of  our  second  stage  we  found  a  packet  of  American 
letters  and  pa.pers  awaiting  us.  The  postal  arrangements 
in  India  deserve  special  mention,  because  they  are  excep- 
tionally good.  Even  when  frequently  changing  camps  in 
the  district,  letters  are  seldom  lost.  They  follow  the 
traveller  from  place  to  place,  and  are  delivered  by  postal 
peons,  who  not  unfrequently  walk  long  distances  in  the 
discharge  of  their  duty.  At  Barwa  Sagar,  as  it  was 
necessary  for  us  to  limit  our  stay  to  one  day,  we  lodged 
in  the  old  castle,  from  which  we  enjoyed  magnificent 
views  on  all  sides.  Another  visitor  was  there,  an  army 
surgeon,  who  had  come  out  for  a  day's  shooting.  We 
watched  his  little  boat  as  it  skimmed  over  the  lake,  and 
heard  occasionally  the  report  of  his  rifle.  When  he 
returned  to  the  castle,  he  bore  proudly,  as  the  result  of 


138  IN   THE   HEART   OF   INDIA. 

his  morning's  "  sport,"  a  fine  bag  of  game.  The  English 
are  a  sport-loving  people,  which  fact  largely  accounts  for 
the  physical  force  which  they  are  able  to  maintain  even 
in  the  debilitating  climate  of  India. 

The  mention  of  this  officer  recalls  another,  from  whom, 
as  he  had  visited  Barwa  Sagar,  we  inquired  before  start- 
ing on  this  tour,  as  to  whether  there  was  a  village  or 
town  near  the  lake.  He  had  not  seen  a  village  there,  and 
was  doubtful  about  the  existence  of  one.  As  a  matter  of 
fact,  he  had  seen  nothing  there  except  the  castle  in  which 
he  had  lodged,  and  the  lake  which  afforded  him  the  sport 
which  he  desired.  And  yet  there  was  a  large  town  close 
to  the  castle.  This  well  illustrates  how  people  see  those 
things  which  they  have  eyes  to  see,  and  are  blind  to  all 
else.  This  is  true  of  European  residents  in  India  who 
have  an  opportunity  of  seeing  for  themselves  the  mission- 
ary work  which  is  being  carried  on  here.  According 
to  their  predilections,  they  see  or  do  not  see  what  the 
missionaries  are  doing  in  this  land.  One  interested  in 
missions  will  be  able  to  tell  of  Christian  communities  and 
Churches,  and  of  various  evangelistic  and  philanthropic 
agencies  which  have  come  under  his  observation  ;  while 
another  who  has  felt  no  interest  in  missions,  and  con- 
sequently has  had  no  eyes  to  see  what  others  have  seen, 
will  perhaps  be  only  too  ready  by  his  remarks  upon  the 
subject  to  throw  doubt  upon  the  matter  of  missionary 
success.  Would  that  it  were  better  understood  that  those 
who  have  nothing  good  to  say  of  the  missionary  work,  as 
well  as  those  who  speak  in  appreciation  of  it,  do  by  what 
they  say  most  distinctly  reflect  their  own  individual 
character. 

The  Gospel  was  preached  in  the  town  of  Barwa  Sagar 
in  the  evening  of  the  day  we  spent  there,  and  on  the 
following  morning  we  drove  to  Jhansi.     During  this  tour 


IN   THE    HEABT   OF   INDIA. 


139 


of  twenty-two  days  we  pitched  our  tents  in  eight  differ-' 
ent  places,  made  brief  halts  at  three  other  places,  and 
twenty-three  towns  and  villages  were  visited,  some  of 
them  on  two  or  three  different  occasions. 


XIII. 

FIRST  HELPERS  SENT  TO  US, 

AND    FURTHER  TOURING  IN  THE  DISTRICT. 

In  June  1887  we  were  gladdened  by  the  arrival  of  our 
first  helpers,  the  Eev.  E.  Nabibakhsh  and  his  wife.  He 
had  been  a  valued  laborer  in  Etawah,  but  with  the 
consent  most  generously  given  of  the  missionary  at  that 
station,  and  the  sanction  of  the  mission,  he  and  his  wife 
were  transferred  to  Jhansi.  This  brother  did  not  come 
as  a  stranger  to  this  field,  for,  as  has  been  related,  when 
Jhansi  had  been  an  out-station  of  Etawah,  he  was  one  of 
those  sent  to  begin  the  work  here,  and  was  the  leader  of 
the  pioneering  party.  A  man  in  middle  life,  he  had  an 
honorable  record,  and  we  were  thankful  to  have  such  a 
helper  sent  to  us.  He  had  been  in  the  care  of  the 
mission  from  his  boyhood,  having  been  received  as  an 
orphan,  and  had  been  educated  at  Fatehgarh.  In  this 
connection  I  will  add  nothing  more  concerning  him,  as 
an  account  of  his  eventful  boyhood  and  subsequent 
career  will  be  given  in  the  following  chapter.  The 
wife  of  our  helper,  also  received  as  an  orphan  child, 
had  been  brought  up  and  educated  in  the  mission.  She 
had  been  in  my  care  for  a  time  at  Allahabad,  and  was 
afterwards  sent  by  us  to  our  orphan  school  in 
Fatehgarh.  She  grew  into  a  fine  woman,  and  was 
eventually  married  to  the  minister  who  became  our 
first  fellow-worker  in  Jhansi. 


IN   THE    HEART   OF   INDIA.  141 

On  their  way  to  us  they  had  travelled  from  Etawah 
to  Gwalior  by  rail,  and  from  Gwalior  to  Jhansi  by  a 
common  country  cart.  We  had  expected  them  on 
Saturday,  but  they  did  not  arrive  on  that  day,  and  we 
had  begun  to  feel  anxious  about  them  when  on  Sunday 
morning  they  appeared  at  our  door.  The  cause  of  their 
delay  was  the  breaking  down  of  the  cart  in  which  they 
had  started  from  Gwalior.  When  thus  halted  in  their 
journey  they  were  far  from  any  shelter,  and  they  were 
obliged  to  wait  by  the  roadside  until  from  a  distant 
village  another  cart  could  be  procured.  "  Happily  there 
was  a  well  at  hand,"  said  the  minister,  "and  this  was 
a  great  boon  to  us,  as  the  heat  was  very  great,  and 
besides  there  was  still  some  food  in  our  basket  which 
we  had  brought  from  Etawah,  and  with  this  we  could 
refresh  ourselves." 

There  v/ere  on  the  mission  premises  no  houses  which 
could  be  used  for  the  accommodation  of  our  helpers ; 
and  furthermore,  when  beginning  work  in  our  new 
station  we  had  resolved  not  to  introduce  the  "compound 
system,"  as  it  is  called,  that  is,  the  plan  of  colonising 
the  Christian  community  on  mission  ground  outside  the 
native  city.  The  reason  for  this  was  that  when  converts 
from  heathenism  or  Mahomedanism  live  under  the 
shadow  of  a  missionary,  a  spirit  of  dependence  preju- 
dicial to  manliness  of  character  is  apt  to  be  engendered 
in  them ;  and  also  that  when  living  apart  from  the  non- 
Christian  community,  they  have  less  opportunity  of 
exerting  a  Christian  influence  upon  it. 

The  brother  who  had  been  sent  to  us  had  been  inured 
to  self-reliance,  and  moreover,  chiefly  in  this  very  city  of 
Jhansi  had  been  schooled  in  self-dependence.  He 
therefore  unhesitatingly  set  about  to  find  in  the  native 
city  a  house  in  which  he  and  his  family  could  hve.     His 


142  IN   THE   HEART   OF   INDIA. 

quest  was,  to  our  joy,  successful,  but  it  was  not  without 
some  difficulty  that  a  house  in  the  city  was  secured, 
owing  to  the  large  influx  at  this  time  of  newcomers 
attracted  hither  by  the  great  amount  of  work  of  all  kinds 
which  was  being  carried  on  in  connection  with  railway 
construction.  The  great  demand  for  house  accommoda- 
tion in  the  old  city  at  the  time  of  our  beginning  work  in 
Jhansi  may  be  inferred  from  the  fact  that  during  the 
first  five  years  of  our  residence  in  this  new  station,  its 
population  increased  from  32,000  to  52,000. 

The  house  which  was  secured  was  in  the  very  heart  of 
the  city,  and  there  our  co-workers  were  soon  comfortably 
domiciled.  They  soon  made  the  acquaintance  of  the 
people  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  their  new  home,  and 
the  pleasant  manners  of  the  Christians  made  an  ever 
increasing  circle  of  friends  for  them.  It  was  in  an 
upper  room  of  this  house,  a  room  measuring  about 
eight  by  ten  feet,  and  furnished  with  two  chairs  and  a 
bench,  that  we  began  our  Sabbath  service.  In  the  open 
court  below  we  had  a  Sunday-school.  The  attendance 
was  small,  but  it  served  to  make  us  known.  The  door 
of  the  house,  left  hospitably  open,  was  an  invitation  to  any 
one  to  enter,  and  the  singing  of  hymns  in  the  vernacular 
always  proved  an  attraction. 

Before  the  cold  season  of  1887-88  had  passed,  accom- 
panied by  the  Eev.  Nabibakhsh,  we  visited  some  of  the 
chief  centres  of  population  north  and  north-east  of 
Jhansi,  spending  in  this  way  nearly  five  weeks.  At  the 
distance  of  only  seventeen  miles  from  Jhansi,  towards 
the  north,  is  the  city  of  Datia,  the  capital  of  a  native 
principality,  ruled  by  a  Bundela  chief.  According  to  the 
census  of  1881  this  city  had  more  than  28,000  inhab- 
itants, and  the  principality  oontainejd  a  population 
numbering  nearly  180,000.     At  the  commencement   of 


IN    THE    HEART   OF   INDIA.  143 

this     season's    touring    we    were    attracted    by    these 
thousands  of  souls  so  near  to  us. 

On  January  18th  our  Hindustani  brother  started  with 
the  carts  which  carried  all  that  we  should  need  during 
our  stay  in  Datia,  and  we  joined  him  there  the  next  day, 
having  driven  out  in  our  own  conveyance  over  the  best 
of  roads.  We  took  up  our  abode  in  the  Raja's  rest-house 
provided  for  travellers,  which  is  pleasantly  situated  about 
two  miles  from  the  city.  The  city  is  surrounded  by  a 
high  wall,  while  within  the  city  another  wall  equally 
high  encloses  the  grounds  belonging  to  the  Raja's  palace, 
and  excludes  from  view  the  palace  itself.  Not  a  single 
European  lives  in  Datia,  and  here  the  signs  of  civilisation 
could  hardly  be  fewer,  if  in  all  India  there  were  not  one 
representative  of  the  western  world. 

Since  our  first  visit  to  this  city,  the  railway  has  been 
completed  which  passes  within  sight  of  it.  This  railway 
is  now  the  mail  route  from  Bombay  to  the  Punjab,  but 
its  influence  seems  to  have  been  even  less  than  that  of 
the  cart-road  in  awakening  enterprise  in  this  sixteenth 
century  town.  At  the  little  railway  station  the  fast 
trains  make  no  stop,  the  one  slow  train  each  way  being 
more  than  sufficient  to  pick  up  any  travellers  who  prefer 
to  pay  the  small  cost  of  a  quick  and  comfortable  journey 
by  rail  rather  than  to  go  on  foot.  The  macadamised 
road  made  by  the  British  Government  passes  within  less 
than  two  miles  of  the  city,  but  travellers  along  this 
thoroughfare  would  not  dream  that  so  large  a  town  lay  so 
near  at  hand,  were  it  not  that  two  picturesque  old  palaces 
occupying  prominent  positions  not  far  off  cannot  fail  to 
arrest  the  attention  of  passers-by.  As  for  signs  of  life  out- 
side the  walls  of  the  city  of  Datia,  they  are  almost  entirely 
wanting.  To  go  from  Datia  to  Gwalior  on  one  side,  or 
to  Jhansi  on  the  other,  is  like  entering  into  a  new  world. 


144  IN   THE   HEART   OF   INDIA. 

The  preaching  began  in  the  town  on  the  morning 
following  our  arrival,  and  a  large  crowd  of  people  listened 
to  the  Gospel  in  one  of  the  principal  streets.  After  night- 
fall the  preachers  went  again  to  the  city,  using  the  sciop- 
ticon  and  Bible  pictures  to  attract  an  audience,  and  not 
without  success.  My  husband  having  for  some  time  been 
conducting  two  Sunday  services  in  English  for  the  Presby- 
terian soldiers  of  the  garrison  and  other  non-conformists 
at  Jhansi,  it  was  necessary  for  him  to  go  home  for  the 
Sabbath.  During  his  absence  the  Eev.  Nabibakhsh 
continued  to  preach  in  the  city,  and  seeing  him  alone, 
some  of  the  people  made  bold  to  ask  him  by  what 
authority  he  had  come  there  to  preach.  "By  the 
authority  of  the  King  of  kings,"  was  his  answer,  and 
he  was  allowed  to  proceed  with  his  preaching  undisturbed. 
No  opposition  whatever  was  encountered  here,  but  no 
serious  interest  in  the  Gospel  message  was  manifested 
by  any  one  who  listened  to  it.  The  spiritual  darkness 
which  enshrouds  the  masses  of  the  people  in  any  city  in 
India,  even  the  most  progressive,  is  sufficiently  depress- 
ing ;  in  Datia  it  is  a  darkness  which  in  a  very  exceptional 
degree  makes  itself  felt. 

An  incident  which  occurred  one  evening  will  illustrate 
this.  My  husband  had  bought  in  the  bazaar  some  grass 
for  his  pony,  and  before  the  bundles  had  been  placed  in 
his  cart,  a  cow  had  snatched  away  one  of  them.  Before 
she  could  devour  it,  however,  it  vvas  rescued  from  her 
mouth  ;  whereupon  a  Brahman,  standing  by,  glared  upon 
the  Christians  with  angry  eyes,  and  said  in  wrathful 
tones,  "  Would  you  take  that  grass  from  the  mouth  of 
God  ?  " 

From  Datia  flying  visits  were  paid  to  Barauni,  a  large 
village  among  the  hills,  five  or  six  miles  off,  and  to 
Sonagir,    about   the   same  distance    away.     The    latter 


IN    THE    HEART   OF   INDIA.  145 

village  is  a  place  of  some  note,  on  account  of  its  Jain 
temples,  which  attract  many  pilgrims.  These  temples, 
some  of  which  are  fine  specimens  of  architecture,  crown 
a  rocky  ridge,  and  are  seen  from  afar.  The  golden 
pinnacles  of  these  temples  may  possibly  have  given  to  the 
place  its  name,  which  means  ''hill  of  gold."  Before 
starting  to  Sonagir  on  his  pony,  my  husband  filled  his 
pockets  with  booklets  in  Hindi,  which  were  bought  with 
avidity  by  the  people  about  the  temples,  the  last  one 
having  been  sold  before  he  left  the  place.  In  Datia, 
Barauni  and  Sonagir  at  least  five  hundred  Gospel 
booklets  must  have  been  sold,  as  the  amount  realised 
from  sales  amounted  to  more  than  eight  rupees. 

On  the  day  of  our  arrival  in  Datia  my  husband  called 
on  the  Biwdn  (the  Eaja's  chief  official),  and  had  an 
extended  interview  with  him,  during  which  he  stated  the 
object  of  his  visit  to  the  Raja's  capital.  This  functionary 
was  surrounded  according  to  custom  by  a  large  number 
of  attendants,  all  of  whom  had  an  opportunity  of  hearing 
the  conversation  which  took  place.  The  Bkvdn  took 
occasion  to  tell  my  husband  that  he  was  a  Brahman,  and 
would  much  prefer  to  be  engaged  in  his  proper  occupa- 
tion as  a  priest,  but  that  the  office  which  he  held  had 
been  thrust  upon  him.  One  of  his  attendants  approached 
my  husband  for  the  purpose  of  putting  a  mark  upon  his 
forehead,  which,  however,  he  declined.  The  Dkcdn  then 
explained  that  it  was  a  mark  of  honor  which  it  was  proper 
that  he  should  bear,  because  he  was  a  religious  teacher. 
He  politely  allowed  him  to  decline  it,  however,  as  con- 
trary to  Christian  custom. 

During  this  call  my  husband  remarked  to  the  Diwdn 
that  he  and  his  wife  hoped  to  have  the  pleasure  during 
their  stay  in  Datia  of  seeing  the  various  places  of  interest 
in  and  around  the  city.     This  was  no  sooner  said  than 

10 


146  IN   THE   HEART   OF   INDIA. 

the  'Diwdn  offered  to  send  one  of  the  Kaja's  carriages  to 
take  us  out  sight-seeing  that  afternoon,  if  it  would  be  our 
pleasure  to  go  at  that  time.  This  offer  was  accepted 
with  thanks,  and  at  the  appointed  hour  the  carriage 
appeared  at  the  rest-house,  with  a  guide  to  accompany  us 
in  our  round.  Of  all  that  we  saw,  that  which  interested 
us  most  was  the  old  and  long  unused  palace,  built  by  the 
celebrated  Bundela  chief,  Bir  Singh  Deo  of  Orcha. 
This  stands  outside  the  city,  and  commands  a  splendid 
prospect. 

A  novel  spectacle  which  on  more  than  one  occasion 
amused  us  while  we  were  in  Datia  was  a  company  of 
boys  in  uniform,  performing  military  evolutions  under  an 
instructor.  On  inquiring  the  meaning  of  this,  I  was  told 
that  the  Eaja,  having  no  son  to  succeed  him,  had 
implored  the  gods  to  bestow  such  a  gift  upon  him,  and 
had  vowed  that  should  his  request  be  granted,  he  would 
equip  and  maintain  a  troop  of  boy-soldiers.  A  son  was 
given.  There  was  great  rejoicing,  and  the  Eaja,  re- 
membering his  vow,  and  anxious  to  ensure  the  life  of  his 
heir,  gave  an  order  that  a  certain  number  of  boys  should 
be  collected  at  his  capital,  and  be  fed,  clothed  and 
instructed  in  military  tactics  at  his  expense.  Barracks 
had  been  provided  for  these  juvenile  soldiers,  and  they 
were  in  all  respects  well  cared  for. 

Having  devoted  to  Datia  and  its  neighborhood  all  the 
time  which  we  could  spare,  we  returned  to  Jhansi,  as 
we  had  planned  to  make  a  short  tour  in  another  direction. 

February  1st,  1888,  was  a  memorable  day  for  us,  as  on 
this  date  the  first  of  the  lines  of  railway  extending  to 
Jhansi  was  opened  for  traffic.  This  was  the  branch  of 
the  Indian  Midland  System  connecting  Jhansi  with 
Cawnpore.  We  had  watchod  with  the  deepest  interest 
the  progress  made  in  the  construction  of  this  iron  road, 


IN   THE   HEART   OF   INDIA.  147 

which  was  destined  to  do  so  much  in  aid  of  missionary- 
work,  and  it  was  for  us  a  happy  circumstance  that  our 
first  use  of  it  was  to  go  forth  to  preach  the  Gospel  of 
Christ.  My  husband  bought  the  first  tickets  sold  at  the 
Jhansi  railway  station,  and  we  took  our  seats  in  the  first 
passenger  train  leaving  this  place. 

We  proceeded  to  Moth,  a  large  town  thirty-two  miles 
distant  from  Jhansi,  and  there  made  our  first  encamp- 
ment, our  plan  being  to  go  to  places  nearer  home  after 
visiting  some  of  the  villages  in  this  more  remote  part  of 
our  field.  When  on  Saturday  it  was  necessary  for  my 
husband  to  go  home  for  the  Sabbath,  we  had  reason  to 
be  thankful  for  the  railway  which  enabled  him  to  make 
the  journeys  to  and  fro  so  quickly  and  comfortably.  We 
remained  a  week  in  Moth,  during  which  time  the  Gospel 
was  preached  there  and  in  the  surrounding  villages. 

Seven  miles  from  Moth  is  Sumpthar,  where  a  petty 
Eaja  bears  sway.  As  we  were  so  near  this  place,  we 
determined  to  set  up  our  tents  there  for  a  few  days. 
On  the  way  to  Sumpthar,  if  w^e  had  been  blindfolded, 
we  could  have  told  by  most  painful  experience  of  the 
roughness  of  the  road  that  we  were  no  longer  in  British 
territory.  On  arriving  at  our  destination  we  found 
nothing  worthy  to  be  called  a  town,  but  only  an  extensive 
conglomeration  of  low  huts  in  an  extremely  dilapidated 
condition.  The  population  of  the  village  could  hardly 
have  exceeded  three  thousand,  but  there  stood  beside  it, 
and  in  strangest  contrast  with  it,  a  well  preserved  fort  of 
huge  dimensions.  On  this  useless  stronghold  money 
was  being  freely  expended,  while  everything  outside  of 
it  seemed  to  be  abandoned  to  decay.  We  visited  a  dis- 
pensary which  had  at  some  time  been  established  in  imi- 
tation of  the  English,  and  found  it  a  dispensary  only 
in  name,  the  building  having  been  so  long  neglected  that 


148  IN    THE   HEAUT   OF  INDIA. 

the  larger  part  of  it  was  no  longer  habitable.  A  bunga- 
low, once  used  as  a  guest-house  for  European  visitors, 
was  also  in  ruin.  The  streets  were  full  of  people  in 
holiday  attire,  and  when  we  asked  what  had  brought 
together  this  multitude,  we  were  told  that  a  marriage 
was  about  to  take  place  in  the  Eaja's  family,  and  that 
these  crowds  of  people  had,  according  to  custom,  come 
from  the  surrounding  villages  to  enjoy  the  festivities, 
and  to  be  fed.  On  the  day  of  our  arrival,  and  while  our 
camp  was  being  put  in  order,  the  Eaja  came  to  see  us. 
After  learning  who  we  were,  and  the  object  of  our  visit, 
he  said  to  my  husband,  "You  must  teach  me  also." 
These  words  sounded  well,  bub  they  were  intended  to 
be  only  complimentary.  We  did  not  see  the  Raja  again, 
but  to  his  people  in  Sumpthar  and  in  two  neighboring 
villages  the  Gospel  was  preached. 

Leaving  Sumpthar  we  returned  to  the  railway  at 
Poonch,  forty-one  miles  from  Jhansi,  and  here  our  camp 
remained  five  "days.  It  was  a  relief  to  exchange  the 
idle  throng  at  Sumpthar  for  the  quiet  work  at  Poonch. 
When  Saturday  came,  my  husband  went  again  to  Jhansi 
for  the  Sabbath.  While  we  were  at  Poonch,  the  Rev. 
Patrick  R.  Mackay,  pastor  of  the  Free  Church,  Preston- 
pans,  Scotland,  who  was  spending  the  cold  season  in 
evangelistic  work  in  India,  wrote  proposing  to  pay  us 
a  visit  in  Jhansi,  in  order  to  hold  some  meetings  for  the 
soldiers  of  the  garrison.  I  accordingly  returned  home 
to  entertain  our  guest,  while  my  husband  took  ad- 
vantage of  his  presence  in  Jhansi  over  the  Sabbath,  to 
visit  some  of  the  more  distant  towns  of  our  district. 

Turning  eastward  from  Poonch,  my  husband's  camp 
was  pitched  first  at  Irich,  a  Mahomedan  town,  where 
large  and  quiet  audiences  heard  the  Word ;  then  at 
Gursarai,   which   is   the   head-quarters   of  a   Mahratta 


IN   THE   HEART   OF   INDIA.  149 

chief,  whose  estate  comprises  sixtj^-three  villages,  situ- 
ated in  the  heart  of  the  British  district  of  Jhansi ;  and 
from  there  he  went  on  to  Garotha,  forty-five  miles 
distant  from  Jhansi,  this  being  the  farthest  point  which 
he  had  planned  to  reach.  On  the  way  back  he  made 
two  encampments  in  small  villages,  and  the  railway 
was  reached  again  at  Chirgaun,  a  large  town  twenty 
miles  from  our  home,  where  a  brief  halt  was  made. 

Not  until  a  missionary  in  India  begins  to  move  about 
among  the  villages  and  towns  of  the  district  given  him 
as  his  field  of  labor,  can  he  have  any  adequate  realisation 
of  the  work  to  be  done  in  giving  the  Gospel  to  these 
myriads  of  people.  To  say  nothing  of  the  great  num- 
ber of  inhabitants  of  the  Datia,  Sumpthar,  Gursarai  and 
Orcha  territories  at  our  very  door,  there  were  in  the 
British  district  of  Jhansi,  according  to  the  census  of 
1901,  no  less  than  1,340  towns  and  villages,  containing 
616,759  inhabitants.  Such  are  the  dimensions  of  our 
one  parish  in  Bundelkhand.  Is  it  to  be  wondered  at,  that 
we  are  led  to  say.  What  are  we,  and  our  little  band  of 
Hindustani  helpers,  among  so  many  ?  "We  are  making 
a  beginning,  but  when  can  the  end  of  the  work  of 
evangelising  these  hundreds  of  thousands  be  reached,  if 
others,  yea,  many  others,  are  not  sent  to  help  us  ? 

Jesus  had  at  first  twelve  apostles  to  aid  him  in 
preaching  the  Gospel  in  the  little  land  of  Israel.  After- 
wards he  appointed  seventy  others,  and  sent  them  two 
and  two  before  his  face  into  every  city  and  place, 
whither  he  himself  was  about  to  come.  That  was  a  very 
large  increase  in  the  mission  force.  There  was  then  a 
preaching  band  of  eighty-two,  headed  by  the  Lord 
himself.  And  yet  it  was  just  after  this  great  increase  in 
the  number  of  our  Lord's  chosen  fellow-workers,  that 
he  said  to  his  disciples,  "  The  harvest  indeed  is  plenteous, 


150  IN   THE   HEART   OF   INDIA. 

but  the  laborers  are  few :  pray  ye  therefore  the  Lord  of 
the  harvest,  that  he  send  forth  laborers  into  his  harvest." 

Are  not  the  actions  and  v^^ords  of  Jesus  concerning 
the  work  in  which  he  himself  was  engaged  as  an  itiner- 
ant missionary  in  the  land  of  Israel,  a  sufficient  com- 
ment upon  the  needs  of  the  great  mission  field  of  the 
world  at  the  beginning  of  this  twentieth  century  of  the 
Christian  era? 

The  great  need  of  the  great  harvest  field  of  the  world 
is  laborers — laborers  thrust  forth  by  the  Lord  of  the 
harvest  into  His  own  harvest  field  ;  for  only  those  whom 
He  Himself  thrusts  forth  can  reap  His  harvest.  And 
what  could  be  plainer  than  that  the  Lord  desires  that 
the  need  of  laborers  for  His  harvest  field  should  be  fully 
and  speedily  met,  when  He  tells  His  people  to  look  to 
Him  to  thrust  them  forth  ? 

The  Churches  of  India  must  eventually  supply  the 
numerous  agents  and  agencies  which  will  be  required 
for  the  work  of  bringing  the  people  of  India  to  Christ ; 
but  at  the  present  stage  of  the  missionary  enterprise 
in  this  land,  there  is  the  most  urgent  need  of  many 
more  foreign  missionaries  to  act  as  leaders  and  educators 
of  those  whom  the  Lord  is  now  raising  up,  and  will 
raise  up,  from  among  the  people  of  the  land,  to  build 
up  His  Church  and  Kingdom  here. 


XIV. 
THE  BOY  NABIBAKHSH. 

One  summer  afternoon  about  sixty  years  ago  a  boy 
named  Nabibakhsh,  seven  or  eight  years  of  age,  was 
playing  with  some  companions  in  one  of  the  streets  of 
the  city  of  Lucknow.  A  horseman  passing  leism^ely 
along,  reined  in  his  steed,  and  with  an  interested  eye 
watched  the  children  at  their  play.  When  one  of  these 
had  won  a  victory  in  the  game,  the  stranger  cried  out, 
"  Shdbdsh !  "  (bravo  !).  Then  turning  to  the  victor,  little 
Nabibakhsh,  he  said,  ''  Come  here,  my  man,  and  I  will 
lift  you  up  beside  me,  and  give  you  a  ride." 

This  was  a  fine  opportunity  to  mount  a  horse,  and  the 
boy  without  hesitancy  allowed  the  man  to  lift  him  to 
the  saddle,  and  place  him  before  him.  The  man  then 
gave  his  horse  a  prod,  and  the  animal  broke  into  a  brisk 
canter.  The  youthful  rider  was  elated,  and  his  com- 
panions looked  after  him  with  envy.  The  speed  did  not 
slacken,  and  soon  the  riders  were  beyond  the  limits  of  the 
city.  "  Let  me  down  now,"  said  the  boy,  "  or  I  shall 
not  know  the  way  back."  ''This  I  cannot  do,"  replied 
the  man;  -'we  are  already  so  far  from  Lucknow,  that 
it  would  be  impossible  for  you  to  find  your  way  home, 
so  I  must  take  you  with  me.  "  The  boy  began  to  cry, 
but  was  told  that  this  would  avail  nothing,  as  he  would 
not  be  allowed  to  go  back.  The  child  was  much  fright- 
ened, for  he  realised  that  he  was  entirely  at  the  mercy  of 


152  IN   THE    HEART    OF   INDIA. 

this  stranger.  Not  until  nightfall  did  the  riders  dismount. 
Lifting  the  boy,  who  was  stiff  and  sore,  from  the  saddle, 
his  captor  shoved  him  rudely  into  a  hut;  then  telling  him 
that  some  food  would  be  sent  to  him,  he  closed  the  door. 
Bitter  were  the  tears  the  boy  shed  when  he  was  left  alone. 
He  thought  of  his  mother,  a  widow,  who  would  wait  for 
his  coming,  and  of  his  brother  and  sister  who  would  miss 
their  playmate.  "  Shall  1  ever  see  them  again?  and  where, 
0  !  where,  is  this  terrible  man  going  to  take  me?  "  he 
a.sked  himself  again  and  again.  After  eating  the  food 
which  was  sent  to  him,  he  was  soon  overcome  by 
weariness,  and  knew  nothing  until  a  little  before  day- 
break he  was  roughly  shaken,  and  told  to  be  ready  for 
the  journey  which  was  to  be  resumed.  Halting  only  a 
short  time  in  the  middle  of  the  day  for  food,  and  again 
only  when  night  overtook  them,  the  travellers  continued 
their  journey  until  the  city  of  Eampur  was  reached,  dis- 
tant one  hundred  and  eighty-five  miles  from  Lucknow. 
They  were  to  go  no  further ;  and  now  began  a  reign  of 
terror  for  the  defenceless  boy.  His  allowance  of  food 
was  scanty,  his  tasks  were  heavy,  and  frequent  blows 
were  inflicted  upon  him  by  his  tormentor,  who  seemed  to 
take  a  savage  delight  in  torturing  his  victim.  He  was 
so  cruelly  beaten  that  he  bears  the  marks  of  his  keeper's 
brutality  to  this  day. 

Wearily  the  months  dragged  on,  and  there  seemed  to 
be  no  hope  of  deliverance.  At  last  the  boy  driven  to 
desperation  resolved  to  make  an  effort  to  escape.  Closely 
guarded  as  he  was,  he  knew  that  this  would  be  wellnigh 
impossible,  but  his  bondage  had  become  intolerable. 
The  thought  of  gaining  his  freedom  was  so  sweet,  that 
he  was  helped  thereby  to  bear  with  some  degree  of  resig- 
nation his  bitter  lot,  in  the  hope  that  a  door  of  escape 
would  soon  open  to   him.     His  master,  taking  the  boy's 


IN   THE   HEAET   OF   INDIA.  153 

seeming  indifference  to  blows  as  an  indication  that  he 
had  found  it  wise  to  submit  to  his  fate,  watched  him 
less  closely  than  formerly.  When  at  length  the  cruel 
master  was  obliged  to  be  absent  from  home  for  an  entire 
day,  he  left  heav}'  tasks  for  his  slave  to  perform  during 
his  absence. 

Now,  the  lad  felt,  was  his  opportunity ;  and  no  sooner 
was  his  tormentor  far  enough  away  to  make  it  safe  for 
him  to  attempt  his  escape,  than  he  took  to  his  heels.  He 
had  by  this  time  become  sufficiently  acquainted  with 
the  neighborhood  of  his  abode  to  enable  him  to  choose 
unfrequented  paths,  and  thus  escape  observation.  On 
he  sped  like  a  frightened  deer,  unmindful  of  fatigue, 
heat,  hunger  or  thirst.  When  night  overtook  him  he 
was  far  distant  from  Eampur.  By  the  way  he  had 
begged  enough  food  to  satisfy  his  hunger,  and  he  laid 
himself  down  and  slept  soundly. 

"With  the  first  streak  of  dawn  he  w^as  again  on  his  way, 
and  each  mile  which  separated  him  from  his  persecutor 
put  new  courage  into  his  heart,  though  he  was  tired  and 
footsore,  and  knew  not  what  was  before  him.  His  one 
desire  and  uppermost  thought  wa.s  to  make  sure  of  his 
escape  from  bondage.  He  continued  his  flight  until  he 
reached  the  city  of  Eareilly.  thirty-nine  miles  from  Eam- 
pur. He  was  unable  to  go  further.  Found  by  a  police- 
man, he  was  taken  to  the  English  magistrate,  a  man  full 
of  kindness,  who  was  touched  by  the  sad  condition  of 
the  homeless  waif.  The  marks  of  the  scourgings  he  had 
received  bore  witness  to  the  truth  of  his  story.  The 
magistrate  comforted  the  boy,  and  took  him  to  his  own 
house,  where  he  was  well  fed,  and  good  clothes  were 
provided  for  him.  To  receive  such  treatment  made  him 
feel  that  he  was  in  a  new  world. 

As  it  was  found  impossible  to  obtain  any  trace  of  the 


154  IN    THE    HEART    OF   INDIA. 

child's  relatives,  the  magistrate  resolved  to  send  him  to 
the  American  Presbyterian  Orphanage  in  Fatehgarh, 
where  the  missionaries,  the  Eev.  J.  L.  Scott  and  his 
wife,  would  take  good  care  of  him,  and  where  also  he 
would  be  educated  and  trained  for  usefulness.  When  the 
magistrate  made  known  to  the  little  fellow  his  intentions 
concerning  him,  he  was  very  happy.  Truly  his  condi- 
tion had  undergone  a  great  change,  when  such  kind 
words  were  spoken  to  him,  and  his  wellbeing  had 
become  matter  for  such  consideration. 

The  hunted  look  which  his  face  had  worn  now  gave 
place  to  that  quiet  and  trustful  expression  which  is  the 
heritage  of  childhood.  When  arrangements  had  been  com- 
pleted for  his  journey  to  Fatehgarh,  seventy-five  miles 
distant,  he  was  dressed  in  clean  clothes,  and  seating 
himself  in  the  doolee  (swing-litter)  which  had  been 
provided  for  his  conveyance,  was  borne  away.  Accord- 
ing to  written  instructions  which  accompanied  him,  bis 
safety  and  comfort  were  at  each  stage  of  the  way  to  be 
carefully  looked  after,  and  he  was  to  be  sent  forward  to 
his  destination  without  delay. 

In  due  time  he  arrived  safely  at  the  mission  house  in 
Fatehgarh  and  presented  a  letter  from  the  magistrate  at 
Bareilly,  delivering  him  into  the  care  of  the  mission,  and 
relating  all  that  was  known  of  his  history.  Eemaining 
in  the  orphanage  a  number  of  years,  Nabibakhsh,  by  his 
ready  obedience,  diligence  in  study  and  trustworthiness, 
grew  in  the  esteem  of  the  missionaries,  and  was  beloved 
by  his  associates.  He  united  with  the  Church  on  the 
profession  of  his  faith  in  Christ  as  his  Saviour,  and  when 
fitted  for  the  work  of  a  preacher,  was  made  a  catechist. 
At  length  when  Etawah  was  made  a  station  of  the 
mission,  and  the  Eev.  J.  F.  Ullmann  was  sent  to  begin 
the  work  there,  Nabibakhsh  accompanied  him  to  that 


IN    THE   HEART    OF   INDIA.  155 

station  as  a  helper;  and  there  under  the  careful  tuition 
of  this  missionary  he  was  prepared  for  the  ministry. 
He  was  then  ordained  by  the  Presbytery  of  Furrukha- 
bad,  and  installed  as  pastor  of  the  Hindustani  Church 
in  Etawah. 

"While  living  in  Etawah  pastor  Nabibakhsh  met  with  a 
sudden  and  terrible  bereavement.  During  an  exception- 
ally heavy  storm  of  rain  his  house  collapsed,  burying  in 
its  ruins  his  wife  and  little  ones.  His  three  children 
were  killed,  and  his  wife  was  injured,  but  not  fatally. 

It  was  in  Etawah  that  our  first  six  months  in  India 
w^ere  spent.  During  this  period  the  Eev.  J.  F.  Ullmann 
was  our  tutor  in  Hindustani,  and  there  we  made  the 
acquaintance  of  pastor  Nabibakhsh,  w^ho  sixteen  years 
later  came  to  help  us  in  our  work  in  Jhansi.  God  has 
made  his  bow  to  abide  in  strength,  for  he  is  still  with 
us,  and  continues  to  preach  the  Gospel  with  great 
acceptance. 


XV. 
FIRST  FINANCIAL  HELP  FOR  THE  WORK. 

When  it  was  decided  that  Jhansi  should  be  occupied 
coDditionally,  it  was  with  the  expUcit  understanding 
that  until  the  financial  prospects  in  America  brightened, 
or  at  least  until  formal  sanction  for  the  permanent 
occupation  of  this  new  field  should  be  given  by  the 
Board  in  New  York,  no  extra  expense  beyond  the  rent 
of  the  bungalow  should  be  incurred.  The  gifts  which 
came  to  us  at  this  time  were  therefore  especially 
opportune. 

For  nearly  two  years  before  we  left  Allahabad,  a 
number  of  young  ladies  had  met  once  a  month  at  our 
bungalow  for  the  purpose  of  gaining  a  knowledge  of 
missionary  work  in  different  parts  of  the  world.  The 
majority  of  them  belonged  to  the  congregation  of  the 
Scotch  Kirk,  and  several  of  them  had  been  my  pupils  in 
the  Sunday-school  connected  with  this  Church.  We 
studied  India  as  a  mission  field,  and  also  Africa.  As 
their  knowledge  of  missions  increased,  in  a  like  ratio  in- 
creased the  interest  of  the  members  of  this  circle  in  the 
spiritual  welfare  of  the  unevangelised  in  their  own  and 
in  other  lands.  The  first  money  contributed  by  them  was 
applied  toward  the  support  of  one  of  the  orphan  girls  in 
our  own  charge  at  Allahabad.  And  the  first  contribution 
which  we  received  in  our  new  field  in  aid  of  our  work, 


IN   THE   HEART   OF   INDIA.  157 

was  made  by  the  young  ladies  of  this  mission  band. 
This  unexpected  gift  moved  me  deeply,  and  the  gratitude 
which  the  givers  expressed  for  the  effort  I  had  made  to 
lead  them  out  of  themselves,  and  to  teach  them  to  have 
a  care  for  others,  touched  me  more  tenderly  still. 

Some  time  during  our  first  summer  in  Jhansi,  the 
foreign  mail  brought  us  a  letter  written  in  an  unfamiliar 
hand.  On  opening  it  we  found  that  it  contained  a 
draft  for  five  pounds  sterling.  The  letter  and  the  gift 
came  from  a  lady  in  America  whom  we  had  known 
before  coming  to  India,  but  of  whom  we  had  heard 
nothing  for  many  years.  We  had  been  much  on  her 
heart  of  late,  she  wrote,  and  she  had  been  moved  to 
send  a  small  gift  to  aid  us  in  our  work.  The  lady  knew 
nothing  of  our  transfer  from  Allahabad  to  Jhansi,  or  of 
our  special  needs  ;  but  the  Lord  knew,  and  he  had  put 
it  into  her  heart  to  send  us  this  money  at  this  particular 
time.  Two  other  letters  received  about  the  same  time 
brought  each  a  contribution  for  our  work. 

During  our  last  year  in  Allahabad  the  pastor  of  one 
of  our  Presbyterian  Churches  in  America,  while  travelling 
through  India  on  his  way  to  Australia,  gave  us  a  passing 
call.  His  sojourn  in  Australia  for  physical  recuperation 
led  to  his  becoming  the  pastor  of  the  Cairns  Memorial 
Presbyterian  Church  in  Melbourne.  He  was  not  for- 
gotten after  he  went  from  us,  but  to  him,  as  well  as  to 
many  others  whom  we  sought  to  interest  in  our  new  field, 
a  letter  was  sent.  The  Melbourne  pastor,  after  perusing 
this  letter,  handed  it  to  an  "  elect  lady"  of  his  Church, 
knowing  that  she  would  be  interested  in  its  contents. 
This  handmaid  of  the  Lord,  who  was  full  of  zeal  for  the 
Master's  work  abroad  as  well  as  at  home,  read  with 
peculiar  pleasure  this  communication  from  a  stranger  in 
India,  because,  as  she  afterwards  wrote,  it  furnished  the 


158  IN   THE   HEART   OF   INDIA. 

information  which  she  and  other  ladies  of  her  Church 
had  long  desired  to  obtain.  They  had  wished  to  aid 
in  work  among  the  women  of  India  in  some  needy  field, 
but  knew  not  how  or  where  they  could  do  this.  My 
letter  to  their  pastor  furnished  the  necessary  link,  wrote 
this  lady  in  the  first  communication  which  she  sent  to 
me.  A  great  interest  in  our  work,  she  further  said,  had 
been  awakened  among  the  ladies  of  the  Cairns  Memorial 
Church  by  the  letter  which  I  had  written  to  their  pastor, 
and  as  a  thank-offering  for  the  information  they  had 
received,  a  contribution  of  ten  pounds  sterling  was 
sent  to  help  in  building  our  church.  "  We  rejoice," 
she  wrote,  ''that  we  are  allowed  the  privilege  of  adding  a 
few  bricks  to  your  church,  and  we  pray  that  within  its 
walls  souls  may  be  born  for  the  Church  above." 

In  my  letter  I  had  made  mention  of  meeting  many  of 
the  Jhansi  women  at  the  Five  Wells,  and  had  said  that 
by  this  means  I  had  obtained  an  entrance  to  some  of 
their  homes.  Our  newly-found  friends  desired  to  aid 
me  in  the  work  I  was  trying  to  do  in  these  homes, 
and  my  correspondent  said,  **  Tell  me  in  what  way 
we  can  help  you  in  your  work  among  the  women."  In 
reply  I  said  that  we  greatly  needed  an  experienced 
zenana  teacher,  and  mentioned  the  sum  which  I  thought 
would  be  required  to  pay  the  salary  of  such  a  teacher. 
A  prompt  response  came,  pledging  the  sum  of  sixty 
pounds  sterling  annually  for  this  purpose,  and  author- 
ising me  to  secure  as  soon  as  possible  the  services  of  a 
suitable  person.  This  was  accordingly  done,  and  the 
yearly  contribution  promised  by  the  Melbourne  ladies 
was  continued  for  five  years.  At  the  expiration  ol  this 
period,  the  help  from  Australia  ceased,  only  because  the 
Australian  Churches  had  then  begun  to  send  mission- 
aries of  their  own  to  India.     Our  Melbourne  friends  had 


IN   THE   HEART   OF   INDIA.  159 

helped  us  when  help  from  them  was  most  welcome,  and 
when  they  could  no  longer  continue  to  aid  us,  on  account 
of  demands  made  upon  them  to  support  work  in  India 
carried  on  by  missionaries  sent  from  Australia,  our  own 
Church  in  America  was  in  a  position  to  take  up  the 
burden  which  they  laid  down. 

Other  generous  gifts  for  our  work  afterwards  reached 
us,  but  they  are  not  mentioned  in  this  connection,  as 
the  object  of  this  chapter  is  to  speak  only  of  the  financial 
help  which  we  received  at  the  time  of  our  greatest 
need. 


XVI. 
INTEREST  FELT  IN  THIS  FIELD. 

We  can  never  cease  to  be  grateful  for  the  deep  interest 
manifested,  from  the  beginning,  in  the  work  in  Jhansi, 
by  the  ladies  of  the  Philadelphia  Board.  Eealising  as 
they  seemed  to  do  in  a  remarkable  degree  what  wide 
doors  of  usefulness  God  had  opened  for  us  here,  and  as 
a  consequence  of  this,  how  many  and  pressing  were  our 
needs,  they  lent  willing  hands  in  laying  the  foundations 
which  the  work  in  its  infancy  required.  They  promptly 
assumed  the  responsibility  of  providing  means  for  the 
purchase  of  the  house  which  had  been  rented  for  our 
use,  and  so  zealous  and  successful  were  their  efforts  to 
this  end,  that  not  long  after  the  Board  in  New  York  had 
given  its  formal  sanction  to  the  permanent  occupation 
of  Jhansi  as  a  mission  station,  the  money  needed  to 
secure  the  property  had  all  been  obtained. 

It  was  a  great  gratification  to  us  that  Dr.  John  C. 
Lowrie,  the  Senior  Secretary  of  our  Board,  who  had 
been  the  first  missionary  sent  to  India  by  our  Church, 
felt  a  special  interest  in  the  opening  of  this  part  of  India 
to  the  Gospel.  After  a  meeting  of  the  Board  in  New 
York  in  April,  1887,  Dr.  Lowrie  wrote  that  it  had  been 
decided  to  defer  the  main  question,  that  is,  in  reference 
to  the  permanent  occupation  of  Jhansi,  for  some 
months;   but   he   added   for   our  encouragement   these 


IN    THE    JIEAUT    OP    INDIA.  1()1 

words,  "The  feeling  here  is,  I  think,  favorable  to  our 
occupying  this  post.  To  me,  personally,  it  is  of  some 
interest  that  Bundelkhand,  in  which  Jhansi  is  situated, 
was  one  of  ihe  fields  under  consideration,  when  the 
north-western  field  was  chosen  in  1834." 

To  one  who  knew  ho^v  earnestly  we  desired  to  remain 
in  Jhansi,  and  who  hoped  that  our  desire  might  be  ful- 
filled, Dr.  Lowrie  wrote  t\vo  months  later,  **  I  sympa- 
thise with  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Holcomb  about  Jhansi,  and 
I  trust  that  their  warm  expectations  may  be  fulfilled." 
In  the  same  letter  he  referred  to  the  depressed  business 
condition  of  the  country,  and  the  state  of  the  Board's 
treasury  which  necessitated  a  reduction  of  eight  and  a 
half  per  cent,  on  the  estimates  for  all  the  stations  of 
the  mission.  A  discouraging  prospect,  truly,  when  the 
taking  up  of  a  new  field  was  under  consideration. 

In  September  Dr.  Lowrie,  writing  to  the  mission, 
spoke  of  the  gloomy  financial  outlook  in  America,  and 
in  reference  to  this,  said,  "  You  can  easily  understand, 
dear  brethren,  that  the  state  of  things  here  makes  it  the 
duty  of  the  Board  to  go  on,  if  at  all,  with  extreme  cau- 
tion." Then  referring  once  more  to  Jhansi,  he  added, 
"  Well,  if  it  be  the  Lord's  will  that  Jhansi  should  become 
one  of  our  stations,  then,  in  due  time,  all  will  be  made 
plain ;  and  peradventure  the  conferences  and  prayer  of 
1834,  when  Bundelkhand  and  the  Protected  Sikh  States 
were  in  the  scales,  may  be  happily  settled  by  the 
occupation  of  both  in  the  general  work  of  our  Church 
in  India.     If  it  be  the  Lord's  will,  may  it  be  so  ordered." 

At  length,  when  it  vsas  decided  by  the  Board  that 
Jhansi  should  be  permanently  occupied,  and  the  money 
for  the  purchase  of  the  bouse  in  which  we  were  livirg, 
had  been  provided  by  the  ladies  of  the  Woman's  Foreign 
Missionary  Society  of  Philadelphia,   Dr.  Lowrie   when 


162  IN    THE    HEART    OF    INDIA. 

acknowledging  this  generous  and  timely  assistance,  said 
in  his  letter  to  the  treasurer  of  this  Society,  "  I  think  it 
was  a  decided  advance  in  our  work  to  have  secured  as 
a  station  the  chief  city  of  Bundelkhand,  and  I  feel 
grateful  to  you  all  for  your  good  gifts  for  the  purchase 
of  the  property  in  Jhansi. 

Toward  the  close  of  the  summer  of  1888  an  Anglo- 
Indian  gentleman  came  from  Agra  to  Jhansi  to  reside. 
He  had  passed  through  the  scenes  of  the  Mutiny,  and 
had  just  published  a  pamphlet  in  which  he  had  given  an 
account  of  his  experiences  during  that  trying  time. 
From  Jhansi  he  sent  a  copy  of  this  pamphlet  to  a  retired 
military  officer,  Major  Conran,  of  Ixworth,  England, 
whom  he  had  known  in  India.  When  acknowledging  the 
receipt  of  the  pamphlet.  Major  Conran  asked  his  friend, 
"  Is  there  any  missionary  work  in  Jhansi  ?  "  and  then 
added,  "  I  have  thought  much  about  getting  the  Gospel 
there  since  our  campaigns  in  1840-42." 

During  his  service  in  India  this  military  officer  had 
found  Christ,  or  rather  the  Good  Shepherd  had  found 
his  lost  sheep,  and  from  the  time  when  he  became  a 
Christian  he  had  consecrated  all  that  he  was,  and  all 
that  he  had,  to  the  service  of  his  Lord  and  Master.  His 
letter  to  his  friend  in  Jhansi  was  placed  in  my  bands 
that  I  might  reply  to  his  inquiry  about  the  missionary 
work;  and  knowing  that  he  would  be  interested  in 
learning  about  the  work  which  we  had  begun  in  Jhansi, 
I  wrote  to  him  fully  concerning  the  changed  condition 
in  Bundelkhand,  and  in  Jhansi  in  particular,  relating  the 
circumstances  connected  with  our  coming  to  this  new 
field,  and  telling  him  of  the  work  begun  by  us,  and  of  the 
opportunities  for  doing  good  which  were  open  to  us  on 
every  hand.  This  communication  drew  forth  from  him  a 
most  sympathetic  reply,  a  part  of  which  is  here  quoted. 


IN    THE   HEART   OF   INDIA.  163 

"IxwoKTH,  Suffolk,  England. 

Dear  Mrs.  Holcomb — You  cannot  imagine  the  delight 
with  which  I  received  yourlettei-.  It  came  like  a  dream 
over  my  spirit,  recaUing  the  times  that  were  past,  when 
I  used  by  faith  to  expect  that  Christ's  Kingdom  would 
surely  be  established  in  Bundelkhand.  You  have  only 
to  read  ray  autobiography  to  understand  it.  My  faith 
could  not  be  said  to  have  become  quenched  in  the  many 
years  that  have  since  elapsed  without  a  word  of  tidings 
regarding  accomplishment. 

Writing  to  my  father,  wlio  had  been  there  in  1786,  of 
my  hope  to  carry  the  Gospel  into  Central  India,  when 
appointed  as  adjutant  there  in  1840,  I  recollect  how  I 
portrayed  the  misery  of  the  millions  still  sitting  in  dark- 
ness ;  and  now^  I  could  hardly  believe  my  eyes  when  I 
looked  on  the  map  and  saw  railroads  and  mission 
stations  throughout  the  province.  Thinking  of  the 
providential  dealings  which  have  brought  some  of  these 
changes  about,  I  am  like  old  Jacob  when  he  exclaimed, 
"  Joseph  is  yet  alive  !  "  and  as  if  to  add  the  climax,  I've 
just  heard  of  my  old  regiment  (so  I  call  it,  having  been 
among  the  men  so  often  to  distribute  tracts  when  they 
were  at  home)  as  stationed  at  Jhansi.  May  you  be 
helped  to  win  many  souls  amongst  them. 

*  All  these  things  are  against  me,'  I  used  to  say  when 
all  my  schemes  for  schools  and  native  preachers  were 
frustrated  by  a  sudden  call  to  fresh  campaigning.  What 
unbelievers  we  are  at  the  best !  Because  all  my  old 
mission  friends  and  the  pillars  of  the  Church  were  re- 
moved, I  used  to  say,  '  Wheeler  is  not,  and  Duff  is  not, 
and  they  will  take  away  Lawrence  and  Edwardes  also  ; ' 
but  I  see  that  instead  of  the  fathers  we  have  the 
children,  the  Janyiers,  the  Newtons,  the  Morrisons; 
and  better  still,  we  have  the  Lord.  "  the  same  yesterday 


164  IN   THE   HEART   OF   INDIA. 

and  to-day  and  forever."  The  Government  is  upon  his 
shoulders.     He  is  the  \Yonderful  Counsellor. 

Here  I  must  explain  for  fear  you  should  expect  too 
much  from  me,  that  I,  being  much  interested  in  the 
work  of  your  Board,  some  fifty  years  ago  made  over 
to  them  a  sum  of  money  to  establish  a  mission  for 
Afghanistan,  the  country  then  most  neglected,  and  the 
late  Mr.  Loewenthal  v^as  accordingly  sent  to  Peshavi^ar 
for  the  purpose,  and  labored  around  those  wild  tracts, 
the  Black  Mountains,  and  other  places  amongst  the 
Afghans,  until  through  an  accident  he  was  shot,  having 
been  taken  for  a  robber,  when  he  was  walking  about  his 
compound  at  night.  But  he  had  finished  his  work,  had 
given  to  the  Afghans  a  translation  of  the  New  Testament 
in  Pushtoo.     He  was  a  man  of  great  erudition. 

But  to  the  point.  I  had  put  aside  a  sum  of  money 
for  this  my  pet  project,  and  had  corresponded  with  Dr. 
Lowrie,  urging  that  Mr.  Loewenthal's  place  be  filled ;  but 
after  many  appeals,  I  found  my  strength  failing,  and  as 
I  knew  not  the  day  of  my  death,  I  felt  the  responsibility 
of  keeping  the  Lord's  money  idle,  perhaps  to  fall  into 
unworthy  hands  ;  so  two  or  three  years  ago,  after  in- 
viting other  Societies  in  vain  to  engage  in  it  (the  work 
which  Mr.  Loewenthal  had  laid  down),  I  made  over  the 
money  put  aside  for  the  Afghan  mission,  to  the  Salvation 
Army,  impressed  with  the  zeal  they  manifested  toward 
all  lands.  What  a  pity  I  had  not  kuown  of  the  Bundel- 
khand  enterprise  !  However,  money  is  a  poor  means 
of  effecting  God's  purposes.  "When  I  think  of  the 
thousands  of  noble  lives  that  have  been  spent  on  behalf 
of  India's  salvation,  of  the  men,  women  and  children  of 
whom  the  world  was  not  worthy,  who  have  died  at 
their  posts,  not  having  seen  the  promises,  why !  in 
their  bodies   buried   beneath  the  soil  of  India,  some  of 


IN    THE   HEART   OF   INDIA.  165 

them  under  the  snows  of  Cabul,  they  have  already 
taken  possession  of  the  land,  and  of  those  everlasting 
hills,  for  Christ.  God  does  not  require  our  money. 
The  Kingdom  is  the  Lord's,  and  He  is  the  Euler  over 
the  nations. 

I  shall  anticipate  further  news  with  deepest  interest. 
My  time  is  short,  and  if  I  can  do  anything  toward 
forwarding  the  Gospel  in  Central  India,  it  will  lighten 
my  journey  and  hurry  me  home.  The  Lord  bless  you 
and  yours. 

Believe  me,  dear  friends, 

Affectionately  yours, 

H.    CONEAN." 

It  was  through  Major  Conran  that  Mrs.  Kemp  of 
Brighton,  England,  mentioned  in  a  previous  chapter, 
heard  of  our  work  in  Jhansi.  Major  Conran  and  Dr. 
Kemp  had  worked  together  for  Christ  in  Peshawar  ;  and 
subsequently  the  work  which  Dr.  Kemp  had  done  in 
Jhansi  had  served  to  revive  the  interest  which  Major 
Conran  had  sixteen  years  before  begun  to  feel  in  Bundel- 
khand.  When  Major  Conran  received  the  news  that  our 
mission  had  entered  upon  work  in  Jhansi,  it  delighted 
him  to  communicate  the  same  to  his  old  Indian  friend, 
Mrs.  Kemp,  and  thus  through  an  interesting  chain  of 
circumstances  was  much  prayer,  of  that  kind  which  we 
cannot  but  believe  availeth  much  in  its  working,  enlisted 
on  our  behalf. 

Major  Conran  continued  to  feel  a  very  deep  interest 
in  our  work  in  Jhansi,  sending  us  from  time  to  time 
letters  full  of  good  cheer,  and  to  aid  in  the  erection  of 
our  church  edifice  we  received  from  him  a  substantial 
gift  of  money.  On  our  return  from  furlough  to  America 
in  the  autumn  of  1893,  we  enjoyed  the  privilege  of  spend- 


166  IN    THE    HEART    OF    INDIA. 

ing  a  few  hours  with  this  saint  of  God  in  his  home  in 
Ixworth.  Sitting  by  his  fireside  he  passed  away  on  the 
23rd  of  February,  1902,  praying  over  and  over  again, 
"May  the  glory  of  the  Lord  cover  the  whole  earth." 
"  He  had  no  thought  except  to  do  good,"  v;rote  the  lady 
in  whose  family  he  had  lived  since  1876.  He  had  been 
his  own  executor,  and  the  means  which  he  possessed  had 
been  used  for  the  spread  of  the  Gospel  in  his  lifetime. 


XVII. 

A   ZENANA  TEACHER  SECURED,  AND  A 
SCHOOL  FOR  GIRLS  ESTABLISHED. 

The  funds  needed  tor  the  support  of  an  experienced 
and  efficient  zenana  teacher  having  heen  obtained,  we 
set  about  to  secure  a  suitable  person  for  this  work.  Mrs. 
Seymour,  whose  services  were  engaged,  and  who  began 
her  work  in  Jhansi  in  Julj^  1888,  had  spent  ten  years 
as  a  zenana  teacher  in  the  cities  of  Allahabad  and 
Agra. 

We  intended  to  establish  a  school  for  girls  as  soon  as 
we  could  do  so,  there  being  as  much  need  for  this  as  for 
zenana  teaching.  And  for  this  work,  as  well  as  for  the 
teaching  of  the  women  in  their  homes,  there  was  an 
open  door.  Among  the  clerks  employed  in  the  railway 
offices  were  many  Bengalis,  and  others  who  Hke  the 
Bengalis  had  in  other  places  where  they  had  lived 
known  more  or  less  of  the  advantages  enjoyed  in  mis- 
sion schools,  and  they  desired  that  not  only  rhe  women  of 
their  households,  but  their  girls  also  should  become  om- 
pupils.  Said  a  Bengali  gentleman  one  day  to  my  hus- 
band, "  We  are  anxious  to  have  a  school  established  for 
our  daughters."  And  a  Hindustani  gentleman  who  called 
upon  us  one  evening  said,  "  Our  wives  and  daughters  are 
very  ignorant,  but  no  one  here  has  ever  taken  an  interest 


168  IN   THE   HEART  OF   INDIA. 

in  them.  In  other  places  schools  have  been  established 
for  girls,  and  the  women  are  taught  in  their  homes."  We 
were  glad  that  we  could  say  to  these  persons,  that  what 
missionaries  were  doing  in  other  places,  we  intended  to 
do  in  Jhansi. 

Sooner  than  we  had  expected,  we  were  able  to  start  a 
school  for  girls  ;  for  when  Mrs.  Seymour  came  to  us, 
she  brought  with  her  a  daughter  who  had  had  some  ex- 
perience as  a  teacher,  and  was  fitted  to  take  the  position 
of  headmistress  of  such  a  school. 

The  school  was  opened  about  the  middle  of  July  in  a 
small  bungalow  in  the  mission  compound.  We  deter- 
mined to  establish  this  school  on  our  own  premises 
outside  the  city,  rather  than  in  the  city  itself,  because 
here  it  could  be  more  satisfactorily  supervised,  and  also 
because  it  would  be  well  for  the  pupils  to  be  removed  on 
school  days  from  the  pernicious  influences  inseparable 
from  life  amidst  heathenish  surroundings.  The  change 
to  the  different  scenes  and  influences  of  the  mission 
compound  would,  we  felt,  be  in  itself  no  unimportant 
element  in  the  education  of  the  children .  We  anticipated 
that  many  of  the  parents,  if  not  all  of  them,  would  object 
to  letting  their  children  come  to  a  school  outside  the 
city,  and  so  it  was  no  more  than  we  expected  when 
Mrs.  Seymour  encountered  considerable  opposition  as 
in  her  rounds  of  teaching  in  the  houses  she  sought  to 
secure  pupils  for  this  school.  "How  can  I  send  my 
children  so  far  away  from  me  ?  And  how  can  I  allow 
them  to  be  absent  so  long?  Who  knows  what  may 
befall  them  outside  the  city  ? "  said  more  than  one 
anxious  mother. 

In  one  house  where  a  mother  was  urging  her  objections, 
the  father  sitting  by  asked,  "  Under  whose  control  will 
this    school   be?"  "It   will   be   under  the   control  of  a 


IN   THE    HEAKT   OF   INDIA.  169 

missionary  lady,"  was  answered.  "Then  my  daughters 
may  go,"  was  the  prompt  response  of  the  father;  and 
he  added,  "  When  I  was  a  lad,  I  attended  a  school  in 
Saharanpur,  which  was  superintended  by  the  Eev. 
Mr.  Caldwell,  an  American  missionary,  and  I  know 
that  in  a  mission  school  my  children  will  be  safe,  and 
will  get  only  good."  Thus  two  bright  little  girls  were 
secured  for  the  school. 

In  other  houses  objections  were  in  various  ways  over- 
come, and  we  soon  had  a  goodly  number  of  very  interest- 
ing pupils,  the  majority  of  them  belonging  to  high -caste 
and  well-to-do  families.  We  had  felt  that  if  such  pupils 
could  be  secured  for  the  school  at  the  beginning,  it  would 
be  easier  to  induce  those  who  were  lower  in  the  social 
scale  to  commit  their  children  to  our  care.  The  people 
of  Jhansi,  of  all  classes,  had  yet  to  learn  the  value  of  the 
privileges  which  mission  schools  afford,  and  so  when 
they  saw  that  their  Bengali  and  Hindustani  neighbors 
unhesitatingly  entrusted  their  children  to  us,  a  good 
object  lesson  was  set  before  them. 

The  children  soon  became  very  fond  of  the  school, 
and  they  greatly  enjoyed  their  rides  to  and  fro  in  the 
mission  carts.  One  little  child,  on  the  first  day  of  her 
appearance  in  the  school,  as  she  looked  with  delighted 
eyes  upon  the  company  of  happy  children  gathered 
together,  exclaimed,  "It's  just  like  a  mela  "  (a  Hindu 
festival),  which  expressed  her  highest  idea  of  happiness. 

When  the  school  was  first  opened  the  children  were 
unwilling  to  enter  the  bungalow^  in  which  we  lived. 
"  Perhaps  we  might  in  this  way  be  made  Christians," 
they  said.  One  little  girl,  whose  father  was  somewhat 
advanced  in  his  ideas,  said,  "I  am  not  afraid  to  go,  and 
my  father  will  not  object  " ;  so  daily  she  came  for 
books,  pencils  or  whatever  was  required  in  the  school. 


170  IN    THE    HEART   OF    INDIA. 

After  a  bimo  others  ventured  into  our  house,  and  it  was 
not  long  until  it  was  regarded  as  a  great  privilege  to 
come  to  our  bungalow. 

The  girls  proved  themselves  to  be  not  one  whit  behind 
their  brothers  in  trying  to  drive  a  hard  bargain,  and 
some  time  passed  before  they  became  convinced  that  we 
transacted  business  in  an  entirely  straightforward  way, 
adhering  strictly  to  the  "  one  price  "  system.  An  in- 
cident which  one  day  occurred  will  illustrate  not  only 
the  shrewdness,  but  the  duplicity  which  these  juveniles 
sometimes  exhibited.  A  little  girl  coming  into  the  room 
where  I  was  accustomed  to  receive  the  children,  saw  on 
my  table  a  new  pair  of  small  scissors.  ''  Are  these  for 
sale?"  she  inquired.  'You  may  have  them,  if  you 
wish,'  I  answered,  and  the  price  was  named.  "  May  I 
take  them  home  to  show  to  my  mother  ?  "  was  the  next 
question  asked.  Permission  to  take  them  to  her  home 
was  given,  but  the  child  was  told  that  if  she  brought 
back  the  scissors,  they  must  be  returned  in  as  good  con- 
dition as  they  were  in  when  taken  from  the  bungalow. 
On  the  following  morning  the  little  maiden  appeared, 
and  holding  out  tow^ards  me  in  her  slender  palm  a  coin 
whose  value  was  one-third  less  than  the  price  of  the 
scissors,  said,  "  My  mother  likes  the  scissors,  but  she 
thinks  the  price  too  high."  And  then  touching  with  one 
of  her  fingers  the  coin  in  her  open  palm,  she  added, 
"  She  is  willing  to  give  this."  '  Very  well/  I  said,  'put 
the  scissors  on  the  table  ;  I  have  but  one  price.*  "  And 
you  will  not  take  this?  "  she  inquired.  '  Certainly  not,' 
I  answered  firmly.  Whereupon,  holding  out  her  right 
arm,  and  placing  under  the  extended  sleeve  her  left  hand, 
she  let  drop  into  it  another  coin,  which  made  up  what 
was  lacking  in  the  price  I  had  named.  Then  quite  un- 
abashed she  laid  the  two  hits  of  silver  on  the  table,  took 


IN    THE   HEART    OF    INDIA.  171 

up  the  scissors,  made  a  graceful  salaam,  and  tripped  out 
of  the  room. 

I  have  said  that  the  children  became  very  fond  of  the 
school.  To  such  an  extent  was  this  the  case,  that 
neither  the  fierce  heat  of  the  summer,  nor  the  heavy 
rain  of  the  monsoon  kept  them  at  home.  During  April 
and  until  the  summer  vacation  began  some  time  in  May, 
the  school  opened  at  half-past  six  in  the  morning,  and 
closed  at  eleven  o'clock.  On  one  of  the  hottest  days  at 
this  season  of  the  year  the  woman  who  collected  the 
children  came  in  haste  from  the  school-room  to  our 
bungalow  to  tell  me  that  one  of  the  girls  had  swooned, 
and  was  lying  in  an  unconscious  state  on  one  of  the 
benches.  I  went  over  at  once  and  found  one  of  the 
brightest  and  best-beloved  children  in  the  school  lying 
pale  and  limp  on  one  of  the  forms,  and  with  beads  of 
cold  perspiration  on  her  brow.  As  she  was  from  a  high- 
caste  family,  I  was  afraid  to  administer  any  thing  for 
her  relief,  lest  the  cry  should  be  raised  that  I  had  inter- 
fered with  her  caste.  'What  can  have  caused  this?'  I 
asked,  as  I  stood  by  her  side.  **  I  think  she  is  weak 
because  she  hurried  away  from  home  without  taking  any 
food,  lest  she  should  be  late  at  school,  and  she  has  been 
overcome  by  the  heat,"  said  her  younger  sister  in  reply. 
The  child  was  very  delicate,  and  her  weakness  seemed  to 
be  the  only  cause  of  her  fainting.  Presently  she  opened 
her  eyes,  and  wished  to  sit  up.  Just  at  this  juncture 
I  heard  a  fruit-vendor  crying  out,  "  Oranges,  sweet 
oranges."  'Just  what  I  w^ant,'  I  thought;  and  I  went 
out  and  bought  some  of  them.  I  then  handed  one  to  the 
woman  who  attended  upon  the  children,  telling  her  to 
remove  the  loose  skin,  and  feed  the  pulp  to  the  child. 
This  was  just  what  she  needed,  as  it  supplied  the 
necessary  food  and  drink.     When  she  was  sufi&ciently 


172  IN    THE    HEART    OF    INDIA. 

revived  and  strengthened,  I  sent  her  home  in  a  closed 
conveyance,  and  thus  ended  my  anxiety  for  the  little  one 
v^ho  had  denied  herself  food  that  morning  that  she  might 
not  be  late  at  the  school. 

Some  of  the  children  in  the  school  made  surprising 
progress,  notably  two  Bengali  girls,  who  had  been 
learning  not  only  Bengali,  but  Hindi  and  English.  On 
one  occasion  when  the  schoolmistress  was  absent  through 
illness,  I  asked  these  two  girls  to  lake  the  Bengali 
classes.  Though  but  nine  or  ten  years  of  age,  they  did 
not  hesitate,  but  came  forward  promptly  and  began  to 
teach  with  all  the  dignity  of  young  ladyhood.  There  was 
nothing  in  their  demeanor  to  indicate  that  they  were 
"  playing  teacher."  After  having  first  heard  each  the 
recitations  of  the  other,  they  divided  the  classes  between 
them,  and  proceeded  with  the  lessons.  They  prepared 
copies  for  those  pupils  who  were  learning  to  write 
Bengali,  and  looked  over  the  examples  of  those  who 
were  studying  arithmetic,  checking  off  those  which 
were  correctly  done,  exactly  as  they  had  seen  their 
teacher  do. 

The  girls  are  very  fond  of  singing,  and  the  Christian 
songs  which  they  learn  in  the  school  are  often  heard  in 
their  homes.  Because  of  this,  one  very  promising  pupil 
was  removed  from  the  school.  "  She  is  singing  your 
songs  from  morning  until  night,"  the  mother  had  said 
to  the  zenana  teacher.  And  then  she  added,  **  I  do  not 
mind  this  myself,  but  her  uncle  is  displeased,  and  insists 
that  she  must  be  removed  from  such  influences." 

It  was  a  grievous  disappointment  to  us  when  as  -time 
passed  on,  some  of  the  older  children,  though  they  were 
still  very  young,  were  withdrawn  from  the  school  in 
order  that  they  might  be  married.  The  mother  of  one 
of  these  child-wives  once  remarked  to  Mrs.  Seymour 


IN   THE    HEART    OF  INDIA.  173 

''  When  ray  little  girl  was  in  school,  she  was  always 
well ;  now  she  is  always  ill." 

Some  of  the  girls  after  they  are  married  are  still  taught 
by  us  in  their  homes,  but  others  after  they  leave  the 
school  are  never  seen  by  us  again. 

Very  young  girls  are  sometimes  removed  from  the 
school  simply  because  they  are  considered  too  old  to  be 
seen  outside  their  homes  ;  and  they  are  sometimes  de- 
tained at  home  when  their  own  parents  would  gladly 
allow  them  to  continue  in  the  school.  •'  Why  do  your 
girls  not  come  now  to  the  school?  "  a  mother  was  one 
day  asked,  as  she  sat  before  the  zenana  teacher,  book 
in  hand.  "  She  will  not  let  them  go,"  she  answered  in 
a.  low  voice,  pointing  at  the  same  time  to  a  room  where 
the  grandmother  of  our  former  pupils,  wrinkled  and 
toothless  and  with  hair  of  snowy  whiteness,  was  bustling 
nois.ily  about.  She  had  recently  taken  up  her  abode  in 
this  house,  and  her  advent  was  the  cause  of  the  removal 
of  the  girls  from  the  school.  ''  Only  get  her  consent," 
continued  the  mother,  ''and  we  will  gladly  send  the 
children  to  the  school  again."  The  old  woman,  though 
apparently  very  busily  occupied  at  the  time,  overheard 
this  conversation,  and  with  flashing  eyes  soon  con- 
fronted Mrs.  Seymour  and  her  pupil.  "  Send  these  girls 
to  school !  "  she  scornfully  exclaimed.  "  Look  at  them  ! 
they  are  too  old  to  go  to  school."  The  girls  to  whom 
our  attention  was  thus  directed  were  only  seven  or  eight 
years  of  age. 

When  about  to  leave  India  for  a  visit  to  England, 
the  wife  of  the  magistrate  of  our  district,  who  had  taken 
a  deep  interest  in  our  compound  school,  asked  what  she 
could  do  during  her  absence  to  help  us  in  our  work.  '  If 
you  could  send  some  gifts  for  the  holiday-treat  of  the 
children  in  the  school,  it  would  help  us  much,'  I  answered. 


174  IN    THE    HEART    OF    INDIA. 

"I  shall  be  delighted  to  do  SO,'  was  the  prompt  reply. 
And  so  before  the  next  holiday-season  came  round,  a 
large  box  containing  a  generous  supply  of  toys  and  other 
useful  gifts  for  the  pupils,  and  suitable  presents  for  the 
teachers,  was  received  from  our  good  friead.  The  supply 
of  various  articles  was  so  ample,  and  there  was  so  great 
a  variety  in  the  gilts,  that  we  resolved  to  have  something 
which  would  be  entirely  new  to  the  children — a  Christ- 
mas-tree. So  when  the  time  came,  a  large  tent  was 
pitched  in  the  compound,  and  the  best  substitute  for  a 
fir-tree  which  could  be  procured,  was  firmly  planted  in 
the  middle  of  the  tent.  One  of  our  very  kind  friends,  the 
wife  of  the  English  commissioner,  furnished  the  orna- 
ments and  the  wax  tapers,  and  several  friends  assisted 
in  fastening  these,  together  with  the  presents,  upon  the 
branches  of  the  tree.  When  the  exercises  held  in  the 
school-room,  consisting  of  singing,  recita.tions,  etc.,  were 
concluded,  the  children  in  orderly  form  marched  out,  and 
were  admitted  one  by  one  to  the  darkened  tent,  in  which 
stood  the  illuminated  tree,  which  was  loaded  with  the 
beautiful  things  that  were  to  be  distributed  among  them. 
When  all  were  inside  the  tent,  and  the  curtain  at  the 
entrance  had  been  closed,  absolute  silence  reigned  for  a 
moment.  Then  followed  a  murmur  of  suppressed  de- 
light, characterisi.ic  of  Indian  children  ;  and  the  distribu- 
tion of  gifts  began.  When  the  tree  had  been  denuded 
of  its  treasures,  the  little  people  who  had  watched  the 
operation  with  the  deepest  interest,  filed  slowly  out  of 
the  t3nt,  each  one  making  a  graceful  salaam.  Carefully 
protecting  the  gifts  they  had  received,  they  took  their 
places  in  the  school  carts,  and  returned  to  their  homes. 
The  day  was  one  which  they  could  never  forget,  and 
from  it  dated  an  attachment  for  the  school  much  greater 
than  they  had  ever  before  felt. 


XVIII. 
MRS.  SEYMOUR'S  WORK  IN  THE  ZENANAS. 

The  expeviences  of  the  zeruiD^^^  teacher  are  kaleido- 
scopic, but  chiefly  in  the  sense  that  they  are  endlessly 
varied.  The  teacher  is  ever  and  anon  encouraged  and 
stimulated  in  her  work  by  the  keenness  of  intellect  with 
which  the  truth  is  perceived,  and  the  apparent  openness 
of  heart  with  which  it  is  accepted  ;  but  alternating  with 
the  brightness  and  receptiveness  exhibited  by  certain 
pupils,  are  the  apathy  and  dulness  shown  by  others, 
with  their  accompanying  effect  upon  the  teacher  of  dis- 
couragement and  depression  :  so  that  this  work,  though 
not  unaccompanied  by  interesting  incidents,  requires,  if 
not  more  than  most  kinds  of  missionary  effort,  most 
certainly  not  less  than  any  otlier,  unfailing  patience  and 
indefatigable  zeal,  in  order  to  its  being  effectively  prose- 
cuted. Hence  the  necessity  of  securing  for  this  work 
the  services  of  such  teachers  as  are  physically,  intellect- 
ually and  spiritually  qualified  for  engaging  in  it, 

The  work  done  by  the  zenana  visitor  is  in  great  part 
that  of  teaching  the  women  to  read  ;  but  in  every  house 
visited,  religious  instruction  is  invariably  given,  and 
members  of  a  household  who  are  not  learning  to  read,  as 
well  as  women  from  adjoining  houses,  often  gather 
around  the  teacher  while  the   Gospel  story  is  being  told. 

One  day  Mrs.  Seymour  found  in  a  house  which  she 
was  accustomed  to  visit,  a  number  of  strangers  from  a 


176  IN   THE    HEART   OF   INDIA. 

neighboring  city.  One  or  two  hhajans  were  explained 
and  sung,  and  then  in  simple  language  the  way  of 
salvation  was  set  forth.  "  Tell  us  more,  tell  us  more," 
cried  one  and  another  of  the  women.  We  are  soon  ^oing 
back  to  our  own  city,  and  w^e  may  never  have  another 
opportunity  of  hearing  these  things." 

Among  our  pupils  was  an  interesting  Bengali  woman, 
the  younger  of  whose  two  daughters  came  to  our  school. 
Very  patient  and  gentle  was  this  little  mother.  Her 
face  was  always  sad  and  wistful,  and  she  seemed  to  feel 
that  there  was  a  message  for  her  in  the  truth  which  she 
heard.  She  always  manifested  much  interest  in  the 
Bible  lesson.  Her  little  daughter  was  often  absent  from 
school  on  account  of  illness,  and  the  mother  told  us 
tha^  when  suffering  she  said,  "  If  I  pray  to  Jesus,  he 
will  make  me  well."  She  found  much  comfort  in 
repeating  the  hymns  she  had  learned  in  the  school. 

Living  near  to  this  house  was  a  family  from  the 
Punjab,  in  which  we  had  pupils.  There  were  seven 
women  in  this  household,  and  with  a  single  exception, 
all  wore  beautiful  geld  and  silver  ornaments.  The  eldest 
member  of  the  family,  a  widow,  was  unadorned,  but 
was  well  clothed.  Two  only  were  learning  to  read,  but 
the  others  sat  in  the  room  while  the  Bible  ilesson  was 
being  given,  and  occasionally  raised  objections  or 
suggested  difficulties.  One  of  the  number,  as  she  listened, 
deftly  plied  her  needle.  The  little  children  of  the 
household  flitted  in  and  out,  the  jewels  which  they  wore 
making  a  musical  sound  as  they  ran  about.  A  pretty 
boy,  two  years  old,  attracted  by  the  singing,  listened  with 
eyes  wide-open,  and  kept  time  with  his  bare  feet,  the 
silver  bells  on  his  tiny  ankles  tinkling  softly  with  every 
motion.  A  pleasant  house  to  visit  was  this  one,  but 
the 'minds   of  those   who  lived  there   were  so  occupied 


IN    THE   HEART   OF   INDIA.  177 

with  the  pleasures  of  this  world  that  they  had  little  if 
any  thought  for  any  thing  beyond. 

In  a  house  where  the  mother,  an  intelligent  and 
interesting  woman,  was  receiving  instruction,  we  one 
day  found  her  three  little  daughters,  who  are  pupils  in 
our  school;  at  home.  After  the  reading-lesson  was  over, 
and  a  lesson  from  the  Bible  had  also  been  given,  the 
teacher,  opening  her  book  of  bhaja7is,  said,  "  What  shall 
we  sing?"  Instantly  the  three  little  girls  came  forward, 
and  the  youngest  promptly  named  her  favorite.  It 
was  a  beautiful  sight — this  loving,  sweet-faced  mother, 
surrounded  by  her  pretty  daughters,  and  all  joining  to- 
gether in  singing  a  Christian  song,  in  their  own  language 
set  to  a  native  air. 

In  one  of  the  zenanas  a  woman  one  day  said  to  Mrs. 
Seymour,  "  We  like  your  religion,  and  we  admire  your 
customs ;  we  would  gladly  abandon  the  religion  in 
which  w^e  have  been  reared,  and  become  Christians ;  but 
how  can  w^e  stand  alone?  We  are  but  poor,  weak  women, 
and  feel  tnat  w^e  could  not  endure  the  separation  from 
our  families,  and  all  the  consequences  which  would  surely 
follow  the  declaration  of  our  change  of  faith." 

Another  woman  said,  when  her  relatives  remonstrated 
with  her  for  receiving  instruction  from  a  Christian 
teacher,  "  I  shall  continue  to  receive  Christian  teaching, 
for  all  the  good  I  get  comes  from  it.  My  caste  people 
do  nothing  for  me." 

What  it  costs  a  woman  from  a  heathen  household  in 
India  to  acknowledge  herself  a  Christian,  and  receive 
Christian  baptism,  we  can  hardly  estimate.  In  a 
majority  of  cases  it  costs  her  all  of  earth  that  she  holds 
dear,  the  loss  of  her  home,  her  husband,  her  children, 
her  friends  ;  and  her  name  is  by  all  her  caste  connections 
cast   out  as  evil'.     The  loss  she  sustains  by  becoming  a 

12 


178  IN    THE    HEART    OF   INDIA. 

Christian  is  indeed  great  ;  and  though  her  gain  is  in- 
finite, yet  this  is  a  fact  which  she  comes  to  understand 
only  wlien  the  Great  Teacher  reveals  it  to  her. 

A  relative  of  some  of  our  pupils  on  coming  from  a 
neighboring  city  to  visit  his  fiiends  in  Jhansi,  was  greatly 
annoyed  when  he  found  that  in  their  house  Christian  in- 
struction was  being  received.  "  The  object  of  the 
Christian  teacher  is  to  make  Christians  of  you,"  as- 
serted the  visitor.  When  one  of  the  women  said  in 
reply,  "I  have  not  heard  of  any  who  have  becot&e- 
Christians  through  this  teaching,"  her  friend  added, 
**No  matter  whether  or  not  any  openly  declare  their 
change  of  views,  they  are  being  wrongly  influenced, 
and  the  foundations  of  our  ancestral  faith  are  being 
destroyed.  The  seeds  of  error  are  being  sown,  and  the 
fruit  is  sure  to  appear." 

Occasionally  a  door  is  without  any  apparent  reason 
closed  against  us.  At  the  threshold  of  a  house  where 
Mrs.  Seymour  had  been  teaching  she  was  one  day  met 
with  the  question,  put  in  a  very  gruff  manner,  **Why 
do  you  come  here?"  "Ihave  a  pupil  in  this  house," 
she  answered ;  and  she  was  permitted  to  enter,  though 
the  grim  looks  of  the  old  man  who  had  accosted  her 
boded  no  good.  Mrs.  Seymour  did  not  see  her  pupil. 
"  We  do  not  know  where  she  is,"  said  the  other  women 
of  this  house,  who  on  former  occasions  had  been  most 
cordial  in  their  behaviour,  but  who  now  seemed  fright- 
ened, and  anxious  to  be  relieved  of  the  presence  of 
the  visitor. 

It  is  a  wonder  that  Christian  teachers  are  allowed  to 
enter  the  zenanas  at  all.  The  fact  that  an  entrance  into 
their  homes  is  obtained  in  spite  of  all  difficulties  and 
hindrances,  and  that  we  have  so  many  invitations  to 
come  and  teach,  shows    that  the  work  is  God's.     The 


IN   THE   HEART   OF   INDIA.  179 

teachers  of  a  false  religion  could  never  have  such  suc- 
cess. Wtieu  one  door  is  closed,  another  is  opened ; 
and  the  Christian  teachers  have  all  that  they  can  do. 
It  may  be  more  or  less  difficult  to  make  a  beginning  in 
a  new  place,  as  it  was  difficult  for  the  pioneers  in  this 
work  in  India  to  inaugurate  it,  because  its  character 
was  not  understood,  but  a  beginning  having  been  made, 
the  work  progresses,  and  its  progress  is  impeded  only 
by  the  lack  of  means  to  carry  it  forward.  However 
many  may  be  the  adversaries  (and  these  are  never 
wanting),  there  still  remains  the  widely-open  door. 

When  on  one  of  her  rounds  Mrs.  Seymour  was 
leaving  a  house  in  which  the  elder  members  of  the 
family  had  expressed  a  dislike  to  the  Christian  in- 
struction given,  a  young  man  belonging  to  the  household 
followed  her,  and  as  soon  as  he  was  beyond  observation 
drew  from  his  pocket  a  Bible,  and  holding  it  forth, 
said,  "  This  book  was  given  to  me  by  a  missionary.  I 
was  educated  in  a  mission  school,  and  I  am  truly 
grateful  for  all  the  Christian  teaching  I  received  while 
in  that  school,  and  I  will  do  all  I  can  to  help  you  in 
getting  pupils  in  the  zenanas."  To  the  question,  "  Do 
you  read  this  book?  "  the  young  man  replied,  •'  I  do." 

One  of  our  pupils  who  applied  herself  very  diligently 
to  her  lessons,  learned  to  read  and  write  in  a  surprising- 
ly short  space  of  time.  "  I  must  learn  all  I  can  while 
I  am  here,"  said  this  energetic  little  woman,  "for  in  a 
short  time  I  shall  go  to  a  new  home,  and  perhaps  I 
shall  not  find  there  any  one  who  can  teach  me."  We 
put  into  this  woman's  hands  when  she  was  leaving  us, 
some  Christian  tracts  and  the  Gospels.  Some  time  after 
her  arrival  at  her  new  home  she  sent  us,  written  in 
Hindi,  in  her  own  hand,  a  communication  which  did 
credit  both  to  her  mind  and  her  heart. 


180  IN   THE    HEART     OF    INDIA. 

But  while  occasionally  a  pupil  is  thus  eager  to  learn, 
and  makes  astonishing  progress,  with  the  majority  of 
those  whom  we  teach,  learning  is  a  slow  process,  and 
the  patience  of  the  teacher  is  sorely  tried.  One  woman 
of  high-caste,  the  mother  of  a  pupil  in  our  girls'  school, 
wa,s  so  hopelessly  dull  that  we  should  have  been  inclined 
to  abandon  the  task  of  trying  to  teach  her,  had  it  not 
been  evident  that  she  was  anxious  to  learn,  and  had 
not  the  visits  to  her  house  furnished  a  good  opportunity 
for  giving  religious  instruction  to  others  as  well  as  to 
her.  The  husband  of  this  woman,  a  government  ser- 
vant, was  after  a  time  transferred  to  another  station, 
and  when  Mrs.  Seymour  made  her  last  visit  to  this 
house,  her  pupil  threw  herself  at  her  feet  and  began  to 
sob  piteously.  For  a  few  moments  she  was  unable  to 
control  her  emotion ;  but  presently  she  said,  "  I  have 
been  a  dull  pupil,  I  know ;  and  how  I  have  tried  you  ! 
I  have  seen  it  in  your  face.  But  I  am  thankful  that 
you  did  not  give  me  up.  I  really  did  my  best,  and  your 
visits  have  given  me  the  brightest  hour  in  all  the  week." 
We  gave  her  tracts  and  Gospels  to  take  with  her  to  her 
new  home.  When  after  a  few  months  she  returned  to 
Jhansi,  she  told  us  that  among  the  acquaintances  they 
had  made  in  their  new  station,  she  had  found  a  lad  who 
could  read  well,  and  that  he  had  read  these  books  aloud 
to  attentive  and  admiring  audiences.  Her  neighbors 
there  had  begged  her  to  leave  these  books  with  them 
when  she  was  about  to  return  to  Jhansi.  '*  I  left  the 
tracts,"  said  the  woman,  "  but  1  would  not  part  with 
the  Gospels." 

A  young  woman  whom  Mrs.  Seymour  was  asked  to 
teach,  began  well,  but  soon  grew  weary  of  the  task.  "  I 
do  not  care  to  learn,"  she  said  ;  "  it  is  too  difficult." 

Then   an  elderly  woman  sitting  by,  said,  "  "Why  do 


IN   THE    HEART   OF    INDIA.  181 

you  SO  soon  give  up?  I  believe  I  could  learn."  "  Try  it 
then,"  was  the  answer.  The  woman  took  the  discarded 
books  into  her  wrinkled  hands,  held  the  open  pages  first 
near  her  eyes,  then  at  a  greater  distance,  and  finally 
with  a  sigh  closed  the  book,  and  said,  "  I  really  cannot 
see  well  enough  to  learn."  After  a  little  pause  she  added 
in  a  more  cheerful  tone,  "But  I  can  get  spectacles,  and 
then  I  can  learn.*'  This  she  did,  and  became  a  most 
interesting  pupil,  industrious  and  painstaking.  She 
soon  learned  to  read,  and  thus  showed  to  the  younger 
women  in  the  house  what  could  be  done.  Her  coun- 
tenance was  pleasant  to  look  upon,  a  smile  lighting 
up  her  withered  face  as  she  wiped  her  gla,sses  carefully 
and  then  adjusted  them  to  her  eyes  in  preparation 
for  her  lessons.  In  about  a  year  this  aged  pupil  was 
reading  with  ease  the  Gospel  by  John,  and  this  was 
no  less  a  satisfaction  to  us  than  to  her. 

Very  different  from  this  was  the  spirit  manifested  by 
another  elderly  woman  whose  granddaughter  was  one 
of  our  pupils.  That  this  girl  had  remained  so  long  un- 
married had  been  cause  for  bitter  complaint  among  the 
women  of  the  household.  To  the  grandmother  especial- 
ly it  had  been  a  great  and  constant  grief.  Though  at 
last,  arrangements  had  been  made  for  her  marriage,  the 
old  woman  continued  to  grumble,  saying,  **  She  ought 
to  have  been  married  long  ago,  but  her  father  got  some 
new  ideas  into  his  head,  and  would  not  consent  to  it. 
He  thinks  girls  should  not  be  married  so  young."  One 
morning  when  we  visited  this  house  the  teaching  went 
on  without  interruption  until  the  Scripture  lesson  was 
taken  up.  Then  the  grandmother,  who  was  sitting  in 
a  corner,  broke  forth  into  a  tempest  of  wrath.  **  What 
you  are  reading  is  not  true,"  said  she  ;  "I  know  all 
that  you  are  accustomed  to  say,"  she  added  ;  "  have  I 


182  IN    THE    HEART    OF    INDIA. 

not  heard  it  for  years  in  Agra  and  other  cities  ?  I  will 
not  believe  it.  I  shall  cling  to  my  own  faith.  That 
is  the  best  for  me.  I  hear  about  your  religion  constantly, 
for  the  Babu  is  forever  reading  to  us  out  of  your  Book. 
I  know  it  all,  and  I  will  not  believe  it."  Sad  it  was  to 
hear  this  aged  pilgrim  thus  denouncing  the  truth.  But 
how  glad  we  were  to  learn  that  in  this  house  was  one 
who  not  only  read  the  Bible,  but  read  it  to  his  house- 
hold, even  though  his  old  mother  scoffed  at  it ! 

There  is  much  in  the  lives  of  those  whose  homes  we 
visit  which  not  only  awakens  in  us  a  lively  interest,  but 
calls  forth  both  our  sympathy  and  our  indignation. 

The  Hindu  mother  clasps  her  child  to  her  breast  with 
a  love  as  true  and  fervent  as  that  which  pervades  the 
heart  of  the  more  civilised  mother  in  the  western  world, 
and  when  death  claims  her  treasure,  a  void  is  left  which 
cannot  easily  be  filled.  Here  too  we  witness  just  such 
passions  as  mar  the  happiness  of  many  homes  in 
Christian  lands — envy,  jealousy,  selfishness,  and  that 
fondness  for  the  exercise  of  authority  which  takes  little 
account  of  the  rights  of  others. 

On  one  occasion  in  a  house  where  two  young  women, 
one  of  whom  was  bright  and  the  other  dull,  had  been 
learning  to  read,  only  the  dull  one  appeared  for  her 
lesson.  The  other,  who  was  very  fond  of  her  books, 
was  engaged  in  some  household  occupation,  and  nodded 
to  us  as  we  passed,  but  when  we  called  her  to  join  us 
in  the  room  where  we  were  usually  received,  she  was 
not  allowed  to  come.  Her  aptitude  and  delight  in  learn- 
ing had  aroused  the  jealousy  of  the  dull  pupil,  who 
unfortunately  having  authority  in  the  household  had 
spitefully  forbidden  her  to  read,  and  had  imposed  upon 
her  such  duties  as  left  her  no  time  for  her  loved  lessons. 

As  might  be  expected,    spoiled   children   are   by   no 


IN   THE   HEART   OF   INDIA.  183 

means  rare  in  Indian  zenanas.  In  one  house  which  we 
visited  was  a  daughter  who  possessed  unusual  personal 
attractions.  One  day  the  mother  said,  "I  have  so  much 
to  do  now,  that  I  am  always  weary.  My  daughter  who 
might  help  me  is  disinclined  to  do  so.  She  will  soon  go 
to  Calcutta  to  the  house  of  her  mother-in-law,  and  now 
her  father  when  appealed  to  says,  "  Let  her  have  a 
happy  time  while  she  can  have  it.  She  will  soon 
have  trouble  enough."  So  the  spoiled  beauty  was  as 
undutiful  toward  her  long-suffering  mother,  as  is  many 
a  tenderly  nurtured  and  much  indulged  daughter  in 
more  favored  lands. 

In  Indian  zenanas  the  mother-in-law  is  ever  in 
evidence.  Taking  a  seat  one  day  on  a  low  bed,  which 
for  our  use  had  been  drawn  under  the  shade  of  a  great 
pipal  tree  in  a  large,  cool  court-yard,  we  found  the 
mother  of  the  household  in  great  trouble.  She  w^as 
folding,  with  many  sighs,  articles  of  gay,  rich  raiment, 
which  with  fast  falling  tears  she  deposited  in  a  box  at  her 
side.  In  explanation  the  mother  said,  "  My  daughter 
is  going  away  almost  immediatel}/  to  a  distant  city,  to 
the  home  of  her  mother-in-law.  It  is  very  hard  to  have 
her  go,  for  there  she  wdll  not  be  kindly  cared  for,  as 
she  has  been  in  her  own  home.  I  shall  not  know  when 
she  is  in  trouble;  and  w^ho  will  comfort  her?'*  The 
daughter  brought  her  books,  and  took  her  lesson  as 
usual,  but  she  was  very  quiet.  When  we  were  leaving, 
she  followed  us  a  little  beyond  the  door  and  said,  "  I  do 
not  want  to  go." 

The  lot  of  many  of  the  child- wives  in  India  is  inde- 
scribably sad.  In  one  house  which  we  visited  were  two 
girls  who  had  formerly  been  pupils  in  our  school,  one 
a  daughter,  and  the  other  a  daughter-in-law.  These 
girls,  though  mere  children,  were  considered  too  old  to 


184  IN    THE    HEART   OF    INDIA. 

go  abroad.  The  daughter  continued  her  lessons  at  home, 
but  the  daughter-in-law  was  not  allowed  to  learn,  nor 
was  she  often  allowed  to  see  us.  One  day  while  giving 
instruction  to  the  daughter,  we  saw  the  Uttle  child- wife 
at  the  head  of  a  flight  of  stairs,  looking  wistfully  down. 
*'  Do  let  her  come,"  we  pleaded.  "  She  does  not  wish 
to  come,"  answered  the  mother-in-law  coldly.  "  Only 
give  her  permission,  and  she  will  surely  come,"  we  said. 
We  then  called  to  the  child  to  come,  but  in  vain.  Then 
the  mother-in-law  called  to  her,  and  hearing  her  bidding 
her  come,  she  came  swiftly  down,  but  with  a  look  upon 
her  face  which  it  was  pitiful  to  behold.  She  remained 
standing  until  the  mother-in-law  gave  her  leave  to  be 
seated.  Then  she  dropped  at  our  feet,  and  lifted  up  to 
us  eyes  full  of  fear,  like  those  of  a  captured  animal.  A 
book  was  put  into  her  hands  that  she  might  read.  "  She 
is  too  dull,"  said  the  mother-in-law,  and  presently  she 
was  told  to  go  back  to  her  duties.  Then  with  swift 
steps  she  sped  away,  without  casting  a  look  behind  her. 
Our  hearts  ached  to  see  this  child,  so  recently  a  happy 
girl  in  school,  leading  so  sad  a  life. 

Amid  the  %vellnigh  universal  dread  of  living  with  a 
mother-in-law,  it  is  pleasant  to  be  able  to  record  an  in- 
cident of  an  opposite  nature.  Visiting  one  day  a  house 
w^here  we  had  an  interesting  pupil,  we  found  her  sitting 
as  usual  near  an  older  woman.  When  our  pupil  brought 
her  books,  this  woman  sat  close  beside  her  and 
followed  her  with  her  eyes  as  she  read,  looking  up  to  us 
occasionally  for  approval.  When  the  books  were  laid 
aside,  we  said  something  to  the  5'oung  woman  in  refer- 
ence to  her  mothe)',  for  we  took  it  for  granted  that  no 
other  relation  existed  between  the  two  women  than  that 
of  mother  and  daughter.  "  She  is  my  husband's  mother, 
but  she  is  just  the  same  to  me  as  my  own  mother,"  was 


IN   THE    HEART    OF    INDIA.  185 

the  young    woman's   response.     And   then   she   added, 
"  That  is  as  it  should  he,  is  it  not  ?  " 

The  evils  of  child-marriage  in  India  are  constantly 
witnessed.  One  of  our  pupils  was  particularly  uninter- 
esting, and  found  it  difficult  to  make  any  progress  in 
learning.  No  companion  is  this  dull,  ignorant  woman 
for  her  keen  and  accomplished  husband,  who  occupies  a 
prominent  position,  and  whose  pursuits  are  entirely 
beyond  the  range  of  her  thoughts. 

There  are,  however,  as  might  be  expected,  exceptions 
to  the  very  numerous  evil  results  which  follow  from 
child-marriage,  for  dull  girls  are  not  always  married  to 
bright  boys,  nor  dull  boys  to  bright  girls. 

The  wife  of  a  prominent  Indian  official  was  one  of 
our  most  satisfactory  pupils.  She  was  quick  at  learning, 
and  always  wore  a  happy  face.  She  and  her  husband 
were  alike  progressive.  Their  caste  people  are  often 
shocked  by  the  disposition  they  manifest  to  break 
away  from  the  trammels  of  Hinduism.  When  remon- 
strated with,  they  are  able  to  reply  that  they  are 
both  of  one  mind,  and  that  irrespective  of  the  opinions 
of  others,  they  will  have  to  do  what  seems  to  themselves 
to  be  right. 

To  one  coming  from  a  land,  where  woman  is  held 
in  honor,  perhaps  nothing  in  connection  with  the  cus- 
toms of  this  country  calls  forth  feelings  of  deeper  disgust 
than  the  position  accorded  to  her  whom  God  made  to 
be  a  helpmeet  for  man.  The  woman  may  be,  and  not 
unfrequently  is,  intellectually  superior  to  the  man  to 
w^jom  she  is  married,  yet  she  is  regarded  by  her  husband 
as  belonging  to  an  inferior  order  of  creation,  and  fit  only 
to  be  his  servant. 

As  far  as  possible,  the  houses  in  which  we  teach  are 
visited  during  the  hours  when  the  male  members  of  the 


186  IN    THE    HEART     OF    INDIA. 

family  are  absent,  since  the  wonaen  are  then  more  at 
leisure.  But  occasionally  we  encounter  the  master  of 
the  house. 

Once  on  entering  a  house  we  found  the  husband  and 
father  sitting  on  the  floor  in  native  fashion,  taking  his 
morning  meal.  We  had  been  allowed  to  enter, 
because  a  young  daughter  was  at  liberty  and  could 
go  on  with  her  lessons.  The  wife,  standing  behind 
her  husband  was  waiting  to  serve  him,  while  her 
sister,  who  was  on  a  visit  to  the  house,  stood  near 
by,  ready  to  assist  in  serving,  should  her  help  be 
required.  One  or  two  servants  were  also  in  attendance. 
The  master  having  finished  his  repast,  water  was 
brought,  with  which  he  cleansed  first  his  mouth,  and 
then  his  hands.  When  this  ceremony  had  been  per- 
formed, a  compound  in  very  general  use  among  the 
natives  of  India,  csilled  pan,  whose  principal  ingredients 
are  the  leaf  of  the  betel-pepper  and  lime,  was  handed  to 
him.  This  he  took  without  even  a  glance  toward  the 
person  who  gave  it,  and  stowing  it  away  in  his  mouth, 
walked  haughtily  out.  When  the  sound  of  his  footsteps 
had  died  away,  a  change  at  once  came  over  the  scene. 
The  wife,  wearied  with  her  work  of  serving,  came  into 
the  court,  took  a  seat  near  us,  and  listened  to  the  reading, 
Her  sister,  with  a  sigh  of  relief,  threw  herself  into  a 
chair,  and  the  servants  went  about  their  duties  without 
constraint. 

Not  always,  however,  among  Hindus  is  woman  with- 
out honor.  One  of  the  houses  \vhich  we  visited  had 
about  it  an  atmosphere  of  home,  and  the  wife  moved 
about  like  a  queen  in  her  own  domain.  She  was  very 
intelligent,  and  a  most  apt  pupil.  She  told  us  of  the 
books  which  her  husband  brought  to  the  house  and  read 
aloud  to  her.     She  rehearsed  on  one  occasion  the  story  of 


IN   THE    HEART   OF  INDIA. 


187 
her, 


Robinson  Crusoe,  which  her  husband  had   read    to 
and  which  had  fascinated  her  greatly. 

Such  a  state  of  things  is  due  of  course  to  Christian 
example ;  and  such  cases  will  be  multiplied  as  Christian 
influence  becomes  more  and  more  felt  in  this  land. 


XIX. 

EXPERIENCES  WHEN  ALONE  IN  JHANSI, 
AND  A  PILGRIMAGE  TO  PESHAWAR. 

In  September,  1888,  my  husband  left  Jhansi  for  Naini 
Tal  to  be  present  at  a  meeting  of  the  Hindi  New  Testa- 
ment Eevision  Committee,  and  was  absent  more  than  a 
month,  while  1  tarried  at  home.  A  few  days  after  bis 
departm-e  word  was  brought  to  me  that  there  was  sick- 
ness in  the  house  of  the  native  minister  in  the  city.  As 
soon  as  I  could,  therefore,  I  set  out  upon  an  errand  of 
commiseration  and  reUef.  Taking  with  me  medicine 
and  such  comforts  as  I  thought  might  be  acceptable,  I 
stepped  into  the  two-wheeled  conveyance  used  by  my 
husband,  and  in  a  case  of  emergency  used  also  by  me, 
and  drove  to  the  city.  After  passing  through  the 
principal  gate,  I  went  on  through  narrow  streets  and  a 
busy  bazaar  until  I  reached  the  street  leading  to  the  house 
of  the  minister.  At  this  turning,  the  road  descended 
sharply,  and  I  had  but  just  commenced  the  descent  when 
the  straps  holding  up  the  shafts  of  my  vehicle  both  snap- 
ped, and  I  was  precipitated  with  violence  to  the  ground. 
The  fall  rendered  me  insensible,  and  when  consciousness 
returned  I  found  myself  supported  by  two  Bengali  gentle- 
men, one  of  whom  was  fanning  me  vigorously.  Finding 
that  my  destination  was  the  house  of  the  native  minister, 
they  assisted  me  to  that  place,  which  happily  was  near  at 
hand.     Here  my  wounds  were  bathed  in  cold  water,  and 


IN    THE    HEART   OF   INDIA.  189 

while  this  was  being  done,  the  minister  went  in  quest  of  a 
conveyance  in  which  I  could  be  taken  home.  On 
arriving  at  the  bungalow,  the  English  surgeon  was  sent 
for,  and  it  was  found  that  my  right  wrist,  though  not 
broken,  was  seriously  injured.  For  a  long  time  there- 
after it  was  necessary  to  support  it  in  a  sling,  and  for 
years  it  remained  weak.  There  were  bruises  on  my 
head  and  on  other  parts  of  my  body,  so  that  for  a  time  I 
suffered  much,  and  was  a  forlorn-looking  object.  I 
knew  that  my  husband's  presence  would  not  hasten 
my  recovery,  and  therefore  while  informing  him  of  the 
accident  which  had  befallen  me,  I  took  pains  not  to 
alarm  him,  lest  he  should  feel  that  he  ought  not  to 
remain  at  his  work.  I  continued  to  send  him  a  few 
lines  daily,  writing  with  my  left  hand,  and  this  new 
method  of  chirography  served  not  only  to  give  variety 
to  my  limited  occupations,  but  to  afford  me  no  little 
amusement.  In  fact  the  experiment  of  writing  with  my 
left  hand  became  so  interesting  and  proved  so  successful, 
that  I  wrote  to  my  husband  that  I  might  continue  to 
use  this  hand  in  this  service  after  the  use  of  the  other 
should  be  restored. 

For  some  time  before  the  departure  of  my  husband  for 
Naini  Tal  he  had  acted  as  chaplain  to  the  Presbyterian 
soldiers,  conducting  a  Sabbath  morning  service  for  them. 
Greatly  to  his  regret  it  was  necessary  that  this  service 
should  be  discontinued  during  his  absence.  On  the 
second  Saturday  after  his  departure,  as  I  was  re- 
clining in  a  long  invalid  chair,  word  was  brought  to 
me  that  two  soldiers  belonging  to  the  Scotch  Battery 
had  come,  and  desired  an  interview  with  me.  Under 
the  circumstances  I  was  decidedly  adverse  to  receiving 
them,  and  asked  that  they  would  kindly  excuse  me. 
When   this  message   was   conveyed  to  the  men,    they 


190  IN    THE   HEART   OF    INDIA. 

returned  answer  that  they  had  come  on  important 
business,  and  must  see  me.  They  were  therefore  admit- 
ted. 

I  saw  at  once  that  they  were  laboring  under  excite- 
ment. After  expressing  regret  at  my  condition,  and 
apologising  for  the  intrusion,  one  of  the  men  said,  ''  We 
had  to  come ;  for  we  are  in  great  trouble,  and  we  felt 
sure  that  you  could  help  us."  With  some  embarrassment 
the  man  deputed  to  present  the  case  thus  began  :  **  As 
you  know,  Ma'am,  we  are  law-abiding.  We  do  not  drink, 
we  are  never  in  the  guard-house,  at  least  have  never 
been  there  until  now,  and  in  all  things  we  try  to  conduct 
ourselves  as  soldiers  of  the  Queen  should.  We  are  in 
church  regularly,  as  you  can  testify.  Ma'am.  Well,  the 
first  Saturday  after  Mr.  Holcomb  went  away,  we  were 
notified  that  during  the  absence  of  the  Presbyterian 
chaplain  the  Presbyterian  soldiers  would  be  required  to 
attend  the  parade  service  of  the  Church  of  England. 
W^e  protested  respectfully,  saying  that  they  had  no  right 
to  compel  us  to  attend  an  Episcopal  service,  as  we  were 
Presbyterians.  Our  Captain  replied  that  there  were  but 
two  religions,  the  Church  of  England  and  the  Roman 
Catholic."  Then  in  a  tone  of  great  vehemence  the  soldier 
continued,  "  But  he  had  no  right  to  say  that.  Our 
fathers  in  the  old  country  and  in  the  olden  time 
suffered  for  their  faith,  and  we  will  show  them  that  we 
too  are  ready  to  suffer.  Well,  when  Sunday  came 
we  were  marched  to  the  Church  of  England,  but 
we  refused  to  enter,  and  marched  back  to  our  barracks. 
For  this  act  of  insubordination,  we  were  pui  into  the 
guard-house,  a  new  experience  for  us,  Ma'am.  But  we 
had  acted  conscientiously,  so  we  did  not  regret  what  we 
had  done.  We  wondered  during  the  week  what  would  be 
done   the   next  Sunday,     Well,  this  morning  we  were 


IN   THE   HEART   OF   INDIA.  1.91 

again  notified  that  during  the  absence  of  the  Presbyterian 
chaplain  the  Presbyterian  soldiers  would  be  required  to 
attend  the  services  of  the  Church  of  England.  We  are 
determined  to  resist,  because  we  feel  that  we  are  in  the 
right.  We  will  suffer  rather  than  yield  to  injustice.  We 
have  come  to  you,  Ma'am,  feeling  that  in  some  way  you 
will  surely  be  able  to  help  us." 

'  In  what  way  do  you  think  I  can  aid  you  ?  '  I  asked. 
"  We  do  not  know,  Ma'am  ;  but  there  is  no  one  else  to 
whom  we  can  go  for  advice."  Then  after  a  moment  of 
hesitation,  he  said,  "  Could  you  not  write  to  the  English 
chaplain  and  ask  him  to  excuse  us  ?  " 

'I  am  afraid  that  would  hardly  do,'  I  answered. 
'  Would  it  not  be  better  for  you,  during  the  absence  of 
Mr.  Holcomb  to  attend  the  services  of  the  Church  of 
England,  as  you  are  requested  to  do  ?  ' 

"  We  cannot  do  th?.t.  Ma'am.  It  is  a  matter  of  princi- 
ple. They  have  no  right  to  compel  us  to  do  that,  and 
we  are  determined  to  resist." 

Plis  face  was  flushed,  and  there  was  a  look  of  such 
fierce  determination  on  that  rugged  Scotch  countenance 
that  I  knew  it  would  be  useless  further  to  counsel  sub- 
mission. I  therefore  said,  *  I  cannot  now  see  any  way 
out  of  the  difficulty.  I  will  take  time  for  reflection,  and 
if  I  can  do  anything  for  you,  rest;  assured  that  it  will  be 
done.*     My  soldier  friends  then  left  me. 

After  much  thought  and  prayer  I  resolved  to  send  a 
letter  to  the  officer  in  command  of  the  garrison,  putting 
the  whole  case  before  him.  I  knew  that  he  might 
regard  such  an  act  as  quite  outside  my  province, 
as  indeed  it  was,  but  it  seemed  the  only  course  to  pursue. 
So  with  my  left  hand,  as  yet  unskilled  in  use  of  the  pen,  I 
sent  to  this  officer  a  note  telling  him  what  had  transpired. 
I  reminded    him  that    these    men    now    apparently   so 


192  IN    THE     HEAET    OF    INDIA. 

mutinous,  had  hitherto  borne  a  good  character ;  that  in  the 
present  case  their  resistance  arose  from  a  feeling  that  un- 
lawful authority  was  being  exercised ;  that  it  was  painful 
to  them  to  take  such  a  stand  as  they  had  done,  but  it 
was  with  them  a  matter  of  principle.  They  had  waited 
until  the  end  of  the  week  before  reporting  the  matter,  to 
see  if  the  order  of  the  preceding  week  would  be  repeat- 
ed ;  then  in  their  extremity  they  had  come  to  me  for 
advice.  I  told  him  that  although  during  the  absence  of 
my  husband  the  Sabbath  morning  service  would  be  dis- 
continued, an  evening  service  conducted  by  a  layman 
would  be  maintained,  and  the  Presbyterian  soldiers 
would  not  therefore  be  left  entirely  without  the  means 
of  grace. 

I  sent  away  this  letter  with  many  misgivings.  Two  or 
three  hours  after  the  despatch  of  the  note,  a  tall  orderly  in 
livery  appeared,  and  making  a  profound  salaam ,  handed 
in  the  reply  upon  which  so  much  depended.  With  eager 
haste  I  opened  the  note.  The  commandant  after  thank- 
ing me  for  writing  so  fully  and  so  frankly,  said,  "  I  have 
given  orders  that  during  the  absence  from  the  station  of 
the  acting  Presbyterian  chaplain,  the  Presbyterian 
soldiers  are  not  to  be  compelled  to  attend  the  services  of 
the  Church  of  England." 

As  speedily  as  possible  the  purport  of  this  communica- 
tion was  made  knowm  to  the  anxious  soldiers,  who  re- 
joiced, as  did  I,  over  so  happy  a  termination  of  what  had 
threatened  to  be  serious   in  its   consequences. 

Had  the  officer  in  command  not  been  a  true  gentleman, 
he  might  have  resented  my  interference,  and  felt  that  the 
men  richly  merited  punishment.  They  were  quite  right 
in  thinking  that  it  was  unlawful  to  compel  them  to  at- 
tend the  services  of  the  Church  of  England.  They  had 
acted  wrongly  in  marching  back  to  their  barracks  without 


IN   THE    HEART   OF   INDIA.  198 

permission.  They  shoulcVhave  waited  outside  the  church 
until  the  close  of  the  service,  and  then  marched  back 
with  the  other  soldiers  of  the  garrison. 

Those  Scotch  soldiers  \vere  fine  manly  fellows,  know- 
ing the  Bible  well,  and  it  was  a  pleasure  to  minister  to 
them  in  spiritual  things. 

On  my  husband's  return  from  Naini  Tal  soon  after 
the  middle  of  October,  I  was  able  to  be  about  as 
usual.  I  had,  however,  been  much  shaken  by  the  acci- 
dent and  consequent  suffering,  and  when  in  November 
my  husband  was  obliged  to  leave  home  again  to  attend 
the  meeting  of  the  Synod  of  India,  to  be  held  in  Ambala, 
he  was  unwilling  to  leave  me  alone  at  home,  and  I  ac- 
cordingly accompanied  him. 

After  spending  two  or  three  days  at  the  Synod,  I  re- 
solved for  the  sake  of  further  change,  to  visit  some  of 
the  mission  stations  of  the  north.  I  first  paid  a  short 
visit  to  Ludhiana,  a  place  full  of  interest  because  of  the 
various  kinds  of  mission  work  in  progress  there,  both  in 
connection  with  our  own  Board,  and  the  **  Society  for 
Promoting  Female  Education  in  the  East."  The  ladies 
of  this  society  work  in  co-operation  with  our  mission, 
and  consequently  the  missionary  work  in  Ludhiana  is 
one  in  the  most  real  sense.  Six  months  of  the  first  year 
of  our  life  in  India  had  been  spent  in  Ludhiana,  and  it 
was  most  encouraging  to  note  the  progress  which  had 
been  made  since  1870  in  all  departments  of  work. 

Proceeding  northward  I  passed  by  Lahore,  as  our 
missionaries  of  that  station  were  in  attendance  on  the 
meetings  of  the  Synod  and  the  mission  in  Ambala.  Two 
or  three  delightful  days  were  spent  in  Eawal  Pindi,  then 
the  frontier  station  of  the  Ludhiana  Mission.  Subse- 
quently this  station  was  transferred  to  the  American 
United  Presbyterian  Mission. 

13 


194  IN    THE    HEAKT    OF   INDIA. 

I  had  long  desired  to  see  Peshawar,  not  only  be- 
cause it  is  in  itself  a  very  interesting  city  and  well 
\vorthy  of  a  visit,  but  because  it  had  at  one  time 
been  a  station  of  our  mission,  and  work  had  been  begun 
there  under  circumstances  of  peculiar  interest.  It  was 
hoped  that  missionaries  might  from  this  point  penetrate 
into  Afghanistan,  then  closed,  and  still  closed  to  the 
Gospel  messenger.  For  beginning  a  work  among  the 
Afghans  under  the  auspices  of  our  Board,  Major  Conran 
gave  fifteen  thousand  rupees,  and  the  Rev.  Isidor  Loewen- 
thal  was  the  missionary  selected  for  this  post.  While 
preaching  to  the  people  of  the  city  of  Peshawar  and  its 
vicinity  in  the  Urdu  and  Persian  languages,  he  was  also 
busily  employed  in  the  study  of  Pushtu,  the  language  of 
the  Afghans,  in  order  that  he  might  begin  as  soon  as 
possible  to  translate  the  Word  of  God  into  this  language. 
He  had  completed  the  translation  of  the  New  Testament 
into  Pushtu  when  he  met  his  tragic  death. 

It  is  an  easy  journey  by  rail  from  Rawal  Pindi  to 
Peshawar,  and  arrangements  having  been  made  for  my 
entertainment  at  the  latter  place,  in  case  I  should  be  able 
to  go  there,  I  felt  that  this  was  an  opportunity  for  the 
realisation  of  a  long  cherished  desire.  On  my  arrival 
at  the  railway  station  in  Peshawar,  I  was  met  by  one  of 
the  ladies  of  the  Church  of  England  Zenana  Mission,  and 
driven  to  the  home  of  these  ladies  in  the  heart  of  the 
native  city.  Their  unique  dwelling  had  formerly  been  a 
caravanserai.  The  large  rambling  house  was  situated  on 
a  rise  of  ground,  and  not  only  afforded  a  good  view  of  the 
city,  but  commanded  an  extensive  prospect.  The  green 
valley  of  Peshawar  with  its  encircling  hills  was  very 
beautiful. 

All  the  foreign  residences,  and  the  British  garrison, 
are  situated   at    some  distance    from    the  native   city. 


IN   THE    HEART   OF  INDIA.  195 

The  Bev.  Robert  Clark  of  the  Church  Missionary  Society, 
who  was  the  pioneer  missionary  in  Peshawar,  had  pur- 
chased the  caravanserai  in  the  city,  and  had  suggested 
that  it  might  be  utilised  as  a  missionary  residence,  since 
the  Afghans,  though  wild  and  turbulent,  are  yet  a 
sociable  people,  and  would  be  likely  to  avail  themselves 
of  opportunities  for  intercourse  with  missionaries  residing 
in  the  city,  especially  if  they  were  familiar  with  Pushtu. 
Peshawar  is  a  walled  city,  and  within  these  walls  shut- 
ting out  all  western  civilisation,  and  shutting  in  a  fanatical 
Asiatic  population,  few  Europeans  cared  to  trust  them- 
selves after  nightfall.  It  was  not  strange  therefore  that 
none  of  the  early  missionaries  wished  to  reside  in  the 
city.  Even  the  native  minister  was  averse  to  living 
there.  He,  however,  gave  as  a  reason  for  his  objection, 
that  the  place  was  insanitary  !  But  after  the  zenana 
mission  had  begun  work  in  Peshawar,  the  ladies  of  this 
society  felt  the  inconvenience  of  living  outside  the  city, 
and  proposed  to  take  up  their  residence  inside  the  walls. 
This  proposition  did  not  commend  itself  to  the  other 
missionaries,  but  as  the  ladies  were  urgent  in  the  matter, 
a  trial  was  permitted. 

At  the  time  of  my  visit  these  ladies  of  the  zenana 
mission  had  been  a  long  time  domiciled  in  the  old 
caravanserai.  Hanging  on  the  wall  of  one  of  the  rooms, 
neatly  framed,  was  this  text  from  The  Lamentations  of 
Jeremiah,  the  fourth  chapter,  twentieth  verse. — 
^^JJvder  his  shadow  ice  shall  live  among  the  heathen'^ 
One  of  the  members  of  this  zenana  mission  was  a 
medical  lady,  and  she  found  it  convenient  to  be  within 
easy  call  of  those  to  whose  needs  she  desired  to  minister. 
The  zenana  teachers  and  their  assistants  found  it  equally 
convenient  to  be  near  their  pupils  and  the  schools  which 
they  superintended.      The  people,  they  all  said,  seemed 


196  IN    THE   HEART   OF    INDIA. 

•  gratified  that  they   were  wiUing  to  trust  themselves  to 
live  in  their  midst. 

The  peoples  inhabiting  the  borderland  of  North  India 
are  thus  described  by  one  who  knew  them  well : — "  These 
tribes  are  savages — noble  savages  perhaps — and  not  with- 
out some  tincture  of  virtue  and  generosity,  but  still 
absolutely  barbarians.  They  have  nothing  approaching 
to  government  or  civil  institutions.  In  their  eyes  the 
one  great  commandment  is  blood  for  blood,  and  fire  and 
sword  for  all  people  not  Mahomedans.  They  are  thievish 
and  predatory  to  the  last  degree.  For  gold  they  will  do 
almost  everything  except  betray  a  guest."  May  it  not  be 
that  these  wild  people  of  Peshawar  consider  these  defence- 
less women,  who  are  living  in  their  midst  only  to  do  them 
good,  as  in  some  sense  their  guests,  and  therefore  refrain 
from  doing  them  harm  ?  At  all  events  these  missionary 
ladies,  "  abiding  under  the  shadow  of  the  Almighty," 
have  these  many  years  lived  in  the  city  of  Peshawar  in 
perfect  safety.  While  this  is  a  fact  worthy  of  very 
special  notice,  it  is  also  true  that  about  the  time  when 
plans  were  being  made  for  beginning  missionary  work 
in  Peshawar,  the  highest  British  ofiicial,  connected  with 
the  civil  station  there,  was  assassinated  by  one  of  these 
blood-thirsty  hillmen.  Though,  as  I  have  said,  the 
murder  of  this  officer  occurred  near  the  time  when  plans 
for  missionary  \vork  in  Peshawar  were  being  formed,  yet 
there  was  no  connection  whatever  between  the  two 
events. 

One  morning  while  in  Peshawar  I  visited  the  beautiful 
cemetery  in  the  civil  station,  and  stood  beside  the  grave 
of  that  servant  of  the  Lord,  who  had  been  cut  off  in  his 
prime  and  when  to  human  ken  his  life-work  seemed  to 
be  but  just  begun.  The  monument  above  his  grave  bore 
this  Inscription  : — 


IN    THE    HEART    OF    INDL\.  197 

To  tJw  'memory  of  Rev.  L^idor  Loewenthal,  of  the 
American  Presbyterian  Mission,  who  translated  the  New 
Testament  into  Push^tu.  He  ica.s  shot  by  his  chaukidaVy 
April  27th,  1864. 

"  I  am  not  ashamed  of  the  Gospel  of  Christ,  for  it  is 
the  power  of  God  unto  salvation  to  every  one  that 
believeth.'' — Romans  ^.  16. 

In  a  beautiful  Christian  sanctuary,  which  was  erected 
in  Peshawar  some  years  after  the  death  of  Mr.  Loewen- 
thal,  I  found  a  tablet  to  his  memory.  These  marble 
memorials  may  disappear,  but  the  Word  of  God  which  he 
translated  into  the  vernacular  of  the  x\fghan  people  will 
be  an  enduring  memorial. 

I  left  Peshawar  in  time  to  meet  my  husband  in 
x^mbala  at  the  close  of  the  Synod  and  the  Mission  meet- 
ings, and  together  we  returned  to  Jhansi. 


XX. 

A  SITE  SECURED 
FOR  A  CHURCH  IN  THE  CITY. 

Being  anxious  to  secure  as  soon  as  possible  a  site  for 
a  church  in  the  city  we  had  for  some  time  been  on  the 
lookout  for  an  eligible  situation.  The  right  location  of  a 
mission  church  is  a  matter  of  no  small  importance,  and 
we  desired  that  no  mistake  should  be  made  in  taking  this 
step.  At  length  we  found  a  small  plot  of  vacant  ground 
which  we  thought  would  answer  our  purpose,  and  the 
owner  seemed  willing  to  sell  it,  bun  finally  refused  to 
part  with  it,  and  we  were  much  disappointed.  A  better 
position  was,  however,  afterwards  secured. 

One  day  while  passing  along  the  main  thoroughfare 
leading  to  the  heart  of  the  city,  my  husband's  attention 
was  attracted  to  a  small  plot  of  ground,  triangular  in 
shape,  close  to  the  Eani's  palace.  Covered  with  debris, 
and  overgrown  with  thistles  and  other  noxious  weeds, 
the  ground  did  not  present  an  attractive  appearance, 
but  the  position  seemed  an  admirable  one  for  a  church. 
The  street  on  which  it  fronted  was  not  a  babel,  as  were 
the  bazars  of  the  city,  though  it  was  a  much-frequented 
highway.  The  more  we  looked  at  this  site,  the  more  we 
liked  it.  It  seemed  most  desirable  in  every  respect.  On 
making  inquiry  in  regard  to  it,  we  found  that  it  belonged 
to   the  government.     Formerly,  houses    for  the  priests 


IN    THE    HEART   OF    INDIA.  199 

connected  with'  the  palace  had  stood  upon  it.  Those 
houses  had  been  destroyed  after  the  mutiny,  as  the  pro- 
perty had  been  confiscated.  INIy  husband  made  known 
to  the  magistrate  his  desire  to  purchase  this  site,  if 
possible,  and  this  official,  who  was  our  neighbor  and 
friend,  said  he  would  see  what  could  be  done  ;  but  a 
considerable  time  elapsed  before  any  thing  further  was 
heard  about  it.  The  magistrate  had  not,  however,  for- 
gotten the  matter.  One  day  he  accosted  my  husband, 
while  passing  him  in  the  city,  and  said  to  him,  "  I  think 
w^e  can  let  you  have  that  piece  of  land,  if  you  still  want 
it."  **I  do  want  it,"  replied  my  husband;  whereupon 
the  magistrate  asked,  "  In  what  way  would  you  like  to 
acquire  it."  "  In  any  way  and  on  any  terms,"  said  my 
husband.  '•  Would  it  suit  you  to  take  it  on  a  lease  of 
ninety-nine  years  ?  "  was  then  asked.  To  this  question 
an  affirmative  answer  was  given,  whereupon  the  magis- 
trate sp-id  he  would  recommend  that  such  a  lease  be 
given. 

It  was  necessary,  that  he  should  refer  the  matter 
to  his  superior,  the  commissioner,  and  in  case  he 
approved  of  the  proposal,  it  w^ould  go  to  the  Lieutenant- 
Governor  of  these  provinces  for  his  sanction.  When  the 
proposal  reached  the  commissioner,  instead  of  approving 
of  it,  he  suggested  that  a  more  satisfactory  way  in  which 
to  dispose  of  the  land  would  be  to  sell  it  at  auction  to 
the  highest  bidder.  The  government  could  not  then  be 
charged  with  favoring  the  Christians,  as  Hindus  and 
Mahomedans  would  have  the  same  opportunity  to 
purchase  it  as  the  Christian  missionary. 

When  informed  that  in  accordance  with  the  com- 
missioner's recommendation  the  land  would  be  sold  at 
auction,  we  were  disappointed,  for  we  feared  that  in  order 
to  secure  it  we  might  be  obliged  to  pay  a  large  price  for 


200  I]N    THE    HEART    OF    INDIA. 

it,  and,  besides,  there  was  the  possibility  that  we  might 
fail  to  obtain  it  on  any  terms.  We  had  no  reason  to 
think  that  either  Hindus  or  Mahomedans  would  buy  it 
merely  to  prevent  it  from  falling  into  our  hands,  neverthe- 
less we  felt  no  little  anxiety  concerning  the  result  of  the 
auction  sale. 

It  was  advertised  that  the  sale  would  take  place  at  the 
magistrate's  court  on  a  certain  date,  and  my  husband 
thought  it  would  be  advisable  to  be  present  himself  at  the 
auction,  rather  than  to  depute  another  to  act  for  him. 
Accordingly  he  went  to  the  court  at  the  appointed  lime, 
and  found  the  magistrate  ready  to  proceed  with  the  sale, 
A  few  persons  from  the  city  were  present  to  make  bids, 
and  when  the  auction  began,  these  were  left  for  a  time 
to  bid  against  each  other,  my  husband  in  the  meantime 
remaining  silent.  An  amazingly  small  bid  was  at  first 
made,  and  the  subsequent  increments  were  of  the  same 
character.  This  was  entirely  in  accordance  with  native 
custom,  for  their  bargaining  of  any  sort  always  proceeds 
with  the  utmost  caution  and  deliberation.  To  the 
average  oriental,  time  is  of  little  consequence.  In  buying 
or  selling  he  carefully  avoids  any  manifestation  of  undue 
interest  in  the  transaction. 

After  a  time  my  husband  interposed  a  bid,  and  by  his 
offer  enhanced  somewhat  the  rate  of  increase  in  the 
bidding.  His  offer  was  exceeded  by  the  bid  of  another, 
but  he  prom^ptly  made  another  considerable  advance.  This 
seemed  to  convince  the  others  that  he  was  determined 
to  have  the  land,  and  there  was  a  pause  in  the  bidding, 
upon  which  the  magistrate  closed  the  sale  by  declaring 
that  the  land  belonged  to  Mr.  Holcomb,  the  price  to  be 
paid  being  one  hundred  and  ninety  rupees,  or  about 
sixty-five  dollars  !  This  purchase  gave  us  a  freehold 
possession  of  the  ground,  exempt  from  taxation  of  any 


IN   THE   HEART   OF   INDIA.  201 

kind.  The  result  of  uhe  auction  sale  \vas  favorable 
beyond  our  most  sanguine  expectation.  The  interference 
of  the  commissioner  on  behalf  of  the  general  public  had 
very  materiall)^  aided  our  cause.  It  was  not  until  after 
the  sale  was  concluded,  that  those  who  had  taken  any 
interest  in  it  awaked  to  the  realisation  of  a  lost  oppor- 
tunity. They  would  then  gladly  have  purchased  the 
property  at  a  greatly  enhanced  price,  but  to  their 
chagrin  their  advances  were  unavailing,  as  the  land  was 
no  longer  in  the  market.  The  site  proved  to  be  the  very 
best  position  in  the  city  for  our  church. 


XXI. 
SECULAR  AFFAIRS. 

To  no  small  extent  missionaries  in  the  foreign  field  are 
necessarily  occupied  with  what  may  be  designated 
secular  affairs,  for  how  much  soever  they  may  desire  to 
be  absorbed  with  interests  which  are  wholly  spiritual, 
they  find  that  in  practical  missionary  work  material 
concerns  play  a  very  important  part.  In  beginning  w'ork 
in  a  new  mission  held,  where  land  must  be  obtained, 
buildings  erected,  and  plans  formed  for  the  prosecution  of 
various  kinds  of  work,  it  is  absolutely  unavoidable  that 
unremitting  attention  should  be  given  to  W'hat  we  call  in 
Hindustani  "bandobast,"  or  arrangements  in  general. 
Of  his  engagements  in  1889  my  husband  w^rote  near  the 
end  of  that  year,  "  There  w^as  hardly  a  day  when  my 
mind  was  free  from  cares  concerning  some  negotiation 
pending,  or  some  vvork  of  building  or  planning  which 
was  in  progress."  Confined  as  he  was  to  the  station  by 
such  occupations,  be  was  unable  to  do  any  w^ork  in  the 
district  during  the  cold  season.  We  were  therefore 
especially  thankful  that  at  the  beginning  of  this  j'-ear  our 
small  staff  of  workers  was  increased  by  the  transfer 
from  Fatehpur  of  catechist  Dharm  Singh  and  his 
wife.  Dharm  Singh  had  been  in  the  mission  from  his 
boyhood,  having  l)een  received  as  an  orphan.  He  had 
been    well   proved   as   a   worker,   and    possessed   such 


IN  THE   HEART   OF   INDIA.  203 

qualities  as  peculiarly  fitted  him  for  service  in  a  new 
field,  prominent  among  which  was  the  faculty  of  making 
friends  among  the  people.  Both  he  and  his  wife  were 
ever  ready  to  welcome  to  their  house  all  sorts  of  visitors, 
and  to  extend  hospitality  to  any  Christian  wayfarer.  The 
coming  of  this  catechist  made  it  possible  for  a  fair 
amount  of  work  to  be  done  in  the  district  during  the 
cold  season  of  this  year.  The  iwo  brethren,  the  minister 
and  the  catechist,  made  two  tours  together,  being  absent 
from  the  station  forty-six  days.  They  went  as  far  as 
Lalitpur,  fifty-five  miles  to  the  south  of  Jhansi,  and  as  far 
as  Mau-Eanipur,  forty  miles  to  the  east,  preaching  to 
attentive  audiences,  and  leaving  behind  them  Christian 
tracts  and  portions  of  Scripture  in  the  towns  and  villages 
visited. 

A  matter  which  caused  my  husband  no  little  trouble 
at  the  beginning  of  this  year  was  the  settlement  of  the 
boundary  lines  of  the  mission  compound.  A  tract  of 
land  comprising  twenty-one  acres  belonged  to  the  house 
which  had  been  purchased.  In  former  days  land  was 
little  worth  in  Jhansi,  and  consequently  the  settlement 
of  boundary  lines  and  the  fencing  of  compounds  in  the 
civil  station  had  not  by  some  of  the  property  holders 
been  considered  essential.  Now  that  land  was  becoming 
more  valuable,  the  most  careful  attention  was  being 
paid  by  land-owners  to  the  securing  of  their  rights. 
Moreover  the  municipal  authorities  had  made  it  obliga- 
tory upon  all  owners  of  property  in  the  civil  station  to 
enclose  their  compounds  with  stone  walls  or  wire 
fencing  within  a  specified  time.  As  far  as  we  were  con- 
cerned,  this  order  instead  of  being  regarded  as  an 
unnecessary  imposition,  was  welcomed  as  affording  us 
most  opportune  assistance,  for  in  order  to  get  rid  of 
various    annoyances,    some    of    which   were   becoming 


204  IN    THE   HEART   OP  INDIA. 

intolerable,  it  was  absolutely  essential  tbat  precisely 
that  should  be  done  which  we  were  now  required  to  do. 
Our  compound,  quadrangular  in  shape,  had  a  stone 
wall  on  the  side  lacing  the  road  leading  to  the  city,  and 
was  open  to  the  public  on  the  other  three  sides.  The 
boundaries  of  the  compound  were  not  so  clearly  marked 
that  any  one  could  be  called  to  account  for  trespassing, 
and  so  horsemen  galloped  over  the  ground,  vehicles  of 
all  sorts  traversed  the  premises,  and  cattle  grazed  upon 
the  land,  at  will. 

One  road  through  our  grounds  which  was  much  used 
by  the  public  was  that  which  led  from  the  railway 
station  directly  to  the  city;  and  from  this  thoroughfare 
other  roads  led  into  adjoining  compounds.  Our  neigh- 
bors especially  w^ould  be  inconvenienced,  and  the 
general  public  might  feel  aggrieved  by  our  closing  these 
short-cuts  through  our  premises.  By  its  stringent 
order,  therefore,  the  municipality  had  come  to  our  aid, 
and  we  were  thankful  that  w^hile  doing  that  which  would 
so  greatly  benefit  ourselves,  we  should  be  able  to  say  to 
any  one  who  might  think  that  his  privileges  were  being 
curtailed,  that  in  doing  what  we  had  a  perfect  right  to 
do,  we  also  acted  under  the  compulsion  of  the  govern- 
ment. As  we  proceeded  to  carry  out  the  order  of  the 
authorities,  happily  circumstances  greatly  favored  us. 
The  thoroughfare  just  spoken  of,  ran  not  only  through 
our  compound,  but  also  through  ground  occupied  by 
the  government  police,  and  fche  police  officer  was  as 
anxious  as  we  were  to  have  that  thoroughfare  closed. 
Just  at  the  right  time  all  difficulty  as  regarded  the  in- 
conveniencing of  our  other  neighbors  by  the  closing  of 
this  road  was  avoided  by  their  removal  to  another  part 
of  the  station. 

The    next    obstacle   which  confronted    us    was   not 


IN   THE    HEART     OF   INDIA.  '205 

removed  without  tedious  and  vexatious  negotiations,  and 
the  expenditure  of  a  considerable  amount  of  money.  A 
number  of  huts  belonging  to  a  Mahomedan  stood  partly 
on  ground  belonging  to  the  compound  which  we  now 
owned.  This  had  come  about  by  encroachment,  and 
mere  lapse  of  time  had  sufficed  to  establish  a  proprie- 
tary right  to  the  ground.  Not  only  had  our  undesirable 
neighbor  encroached  in  the  past  by  building  on  ground 
which  was  not  his,  but  he  now  asserted  that  a  consider- 
able portion  of  our  compound  also  belonged  to  him  by 
reason  of  the  fact  that  the  doors  of  his  huts  opened 
towards  it,  and  that  it  had  for  a  long  time  been  used  by 
him.  This  claim  could  not,  however,  be  substantiated, 
but  it  illustrates  the  character  of  the  unprincipled 
Asiatic.  To  have  such  a  neighbor,  or  rather  neighbors 
(for  the  huts  swarmed  with  suchlike  Moslem  occupants), 
was  not  to  be  endured,  if  they  could  be  dispossessed, 
and  they  were  finally  bought  out  for  about  $  333.  Our 
compound  wall  on  this  side  was  then  so  built  as  to 
include  the  huts,  which  when  repaired  and  renovated 
were  utilised  as  teachers'  quarters. 

Yet  another  difficulty  arose  as  the  work  of  enclosing 
the  compound  was  approaching  completion.  The  negli- 
gence of  the  former  owners  of  the  property  in  not 
looking  after  their  boundary,  had  caused  a  serious  mistake 
to  be  made  in  mai'king  the  limit  of  the  compound  on  the 
municipal  map,  and  this  mistake,  had  it  not  been  dis- 
covered, would  have  resulted  in  depriving  us  of  several 
acres  of  ground.  The  true  boundary  having  been  shown 
to  my  husband,  further  inquiry  on  his  part  had  elicited 
the  information  that  an  old  map  existed  which  would 
show  the  correct  delimitation  of  the  land.  Obtaining 
this  map  he  found  that  the  boundary  hne  as  shown  upon 
it  af^reed  entirely   with   the   somewhat  obscure   earthen 


206  IN    THE    HEART    OF   INDIA. 

embankment  which  had  been  pointed  out  to  him  as  the 
real  limit  of  the  compound.  Having  ascertained  where 
the  true  boundary  was,  we  were  planning  to  change  the 
position  of  a  gateway,  when  an  attempt  was  made  by  a 
native  official  to  prevent  us  from  carrying  out  our  design, 
and  our  work  was  arrested  until  the  matter  could  come 
before  the  British  magistrate  for  settlement.  At  the 
time  appointed  for  the  adjustment  of  the  matter,  the 
municipal  map  was  exhibited  as,  proving  conclusively 
that  our  entrance,  if  placed  where  we  wished  to  place  it, 
would  extend  beyond  the  bounda.ry  of  the  compound. 
But  unknown  to  our  antagonist  my  husband  had  in  his 
possession  the  older  map  already  mentioned.  It  bore, 
moreover,  the  government  stamp,  and  its  reliability  could 
not  therefore  be  impugned.  This  was  shown  to  the 
magistrate,  and  a  brief  examination  served  to  convince 
him  that  it  indicated  the  limit  of  our  land  correctly,  and 
consequently  there  could  be  no  objection  to  our  having 
our  entrance  as  we  had  planned  to  have  it.  To  the  con- 
fusion of  the  official  who  had  sought  to  thwart  our 
purpose,  he  then  and  there  authorised  my  husband 
to  proceed  with  the  work  which  on  the  preceding  day 
had  been  arrested.  In  this  incident  oriental  duplicity  is 
exemplified,  for  our  antagonist  was  no  other  than  the  very 
man  who  had  previously  show^n  us  the  true  boundary 
of  our  land. 

To  see  our  broad  domain  entirely  enclosed  was  an 
immense  satisfaction,  and  during  the  years  which  have 
elapsed  since  this  work  was  completed,  the  wall 
has  been  an  unspeakable  boon.  For  a  mission  com- 
pound in  India  roominess  is  desirable,  but  not  always 
obtainable.  Our  '*  Rehoboth  "  w^as  within  our  reach  at 
the  time  it  was  purchased,  because  then  property  in 
Jhansi    was    inexpensive.     In   fact    the    land    cost    us 


IN    THE   HEART   OF   INDIA. 


207 


practically  nothing,  as  the  buildings  were  worth  the 
price  of  the  whole  property,  which  was  somewhat  less 
than  $3,000.  It  will  be  more  and  more  valuable  to  us 
as  the  years  go  by  and  our  work  extends. 


XXH. 
PLANS  FOR  A  CHURCH  AND  READING-ROOM. 

How  a  choice  site  for  our  church  and  reading-room 
in  the  city  was  secured  has  been  already  told.  As  soon 
as  possible  after  this  ground  had  been  purchased  we 
began  to  make  plans  for  the  erection  of  our  building. 
As  no  funds  for  this  purpose  were  in  hand,  it  seemed 
to  us  that  it  w^ould  be  the  part  of  wisdom  to  plan  for 
present  necessities  only.  Our  scheme  therefore  was  a  very 
modest  one.  All  that  we  at  first  thought  of  building  w'as 
a  comparatively  small  and  plain  structure  which  would 
answer  for  church  purposes,  and  could  also  be  used  as  a 
public  reading-room  during  the  week,  and  which  would 
cost  about  $  2,000.  As  there  were  two  high  schools  for 
boys  in  Jhansi,  there  seemed  to  be  no  demand  for  a  third 
one,  and  even  had  we  wished  to  establish  such  a  school, 
there  was  no  money  for  the  purpose.  But  we  desired 
by  some  means  to  reach  the  educated  young  men  of  the 
X:)lace,  who  could  be  counted  not  merely  by  scores,  but  by 
hundreds.  We  therefore  determined  to  provide  a  read- 
ing-room for  their  benefit,  having  on  a  visit  to  some  of 
the  mission  stations  in  South  India  seen  how  useful  such 
an  institution  can  be  made  as  a  missionary  agency. 
For  our  combined  church  and  reading-room  we  planned 
to  have  a  building  not  more  than  forty  or  fifty  feet  in 
length,  and  twenty  or  twenty-five  feet  in  width,  with  a 


IN    THE    HEART    OF    INDIA.  209 

veranda  along  the  entire  front,  taking  for  our  model  one 
of  the  plainest  and  least  expensive  houses  which  the 
railway  company  was  building  for  its  employees.  The 
plan  for  such  a  structure  was  drawn  at  our  request  by 
an  architect  in  Allahabad,  who  had  on  other  occasions 
been  employed  by  the  mission  ;  and  his  sketch,  with  a 
rough  estimate  of  the  cost  of  the  building,  was,  according 
to  custom,  circulated  among  the  members  of  the  mission 
for  their  approval  or  disapproval.  While  some  expressed 
their  approval  of  the  plan  proposed,  others  objected 
to  it,  saying  that  the  building  looked  like  a  barrack 
rather  than  a  church  edifice,  and  that  as  it  was  designed 
for  a  church,  it  ought  to  have  an  ecclesiastical  appearance. 
It  was  an  auspicious  circumstance  that  ver^^  soon 
after  the  circular  had  gone  its  round  of  the  different 
stations,  a  special  business  meeting  of  the  mission  was 
held  in  Allahabad.  An  opportunity  was  thus  afforded  of 
coming  to  some  definite  conclusion  concerning  the 
Jhansi  church  scheme.  Before  they  separated,  the 
members  of  the  mission  were  entirely  at  one  in  reference 
to  this  matter,  and  their  agreement  came  about  in  this 
way.  While  they  were  engaged  in  discussing  the  plan 
which  had  been  proposed  in  the  circular,  the  architect 
who  had  drawn  up  this  plan  called  at  the  house  where 
they  were  assembled,  to  have  an  interview  with  one  of 
their  number  concerning  another  matter  of  business. 
Having  been  told  how  opportunely  he  had  appeared  in 
their  midst,  the  architect  was  then  informed  that  the 
plan  of  the  building  which  had  been  submitted  to  the 
mission  had  not  met  the  entire  approval  of  all  the  mem- 
bers, and  he  was  asked  to  draw  while  there  a  rough 
sketch  of  a  church  with  a  reading-room  attached,  the 
whole  to  be  adapted  to  the  plot  of  ground  on  which  it 
was  to  stand,    and    which   he  himself  had  seen.     In  a 

14 


210  IN   THE   HEART   OF   INDIA. 

very  short  time  the  sketch  was  ready,  and  all  after  seeing 
it  said,  "  This  is  what  we  want."  By  general  consent 
the  dimensions  of  the  building  were  considerably  in- 
creased, as  it  was  thought  wise  to  provide  not  merely 
for  present  but  for  prospective  needs.  The  building  was 
so  planned  that  the  two  rooms  could,  whenever  desired, 
be  used  as  one  audience  room.  The  architect  thought 
that  such  a  building  as  was  contemplated  might  be 
erected  at  a  cost  of  about  $5,000,  and  the  expenditure  of 
such  a  sum  seemed  to  the  mission  entirely  justifiable. 


XXIII. 

FIRST  ANNUAL  MEETING  OF  THE  MISSION 

IN  JHANSI,  AND  THE  LAYING  OF  THE 

CORNER-STONE  OF  THE  CHURCH. 

When  we  began  in  May  1889  to  clear  the  ground  in 
preparation  for  building  our  church,  a  remarkable  in- 
terest in  our  proceeding  was  manifested  by  some  of  the 
people  in  the  city.  Rumors  were  rife  that  the  excavations 
about  to  be  made  would  reveal  buried  treasure,  but  so 
far  were  such  expectations  unfulfilled  that  not  even  a 
single  copper  coin  was  unearthed.  Two  rusty  gun- 
barrels  and  a  sword-blade  were,  however,  turned  up. 
It  is  possible  that  in  the  terrible  conflict  of  the  troops 
of  General  Sir  Hugh  Rose  with  the  rebel  sepoys  on 
the  3rd  of  April,  1858,  these  weapons  may  have  been 
used  against  the  British. 

To  the  casual  observer  the  work  on  the  church 
foundations  may  have  appeared  to  advance  very  slowly, 
but  to  any  one  who  cared  to  inspect  it,  the  progress 
made  from  time  to  time  could  not  but  have  seemed 
very  substantial,  for  the  labor  and  expense  connected 
with  this  initial  portion  of  the  building  proved  to  be 
vastly  greater  than  had  been  anticipated,  on  account  of 
the  depth  of  excavation  which  was  found  to  be  necessary 
in  order  to  reach  solid  ground.     We  hoped  to  be  able 


212  IN    THE    HEART   OF   INDIA. 

at  the  annual  meeting  of  the  mission,  which  was  to  be 
held  in  Jhansi  in  November,  to  lay  the  corner-stone  of 
this  edifice  with  appropriate  ceremonies,  and  conse- 
quently bent  our  energies  to  the  accomplishment  of 
this  end. 

It  was  a  great  pleasure  to  us  to  welcome  tlie  members 
of  the  mission  to  this  station,  many  of  whom  saw  it  for 
the  first  time  on  this  occasion.  The  main  line  of  the 
Indian  Midland  Kailway  System  had  been  completed, 
linking  the  Great  Indian  Peninsula  Eailway  in  the 
south-west  with  the  railways  in  the  north  and  north-east 
via  Jhansi,  so  that  our  friends  coming  to  us  from  x^llaha- 
bad,  or  by  the  way  of  Cawnpore  or  Agra  could  enjoy 
quick  transit  by  rail,  instead  of  enduring,  as  we  had 
often  done,  an  uncomfortable  and  tedious  journey  by 
the  old-time  dak  gdri. 

The  degree  of  personl  interest  felt  by  us  in  the  com- 
pletion of  the  main  line  of  the  Indian  Midland  Eailway 
may  be  understood  by  my  mentioning  that  when  the 
first  passenger  train  was  to  leave  Jhansi  for  Bombay,  we 
drove  down  to  the  station,  a  distance  of  two  miles,  at 
midnight  to  see  it  "  pull  out."  After  it  had  vanished  in 
the  darkness  we  returned  to  our  bungalow  with  a  feeling 
of  elation  because  that  we  in  the  heart  of  India  were 
now  linked  by  rail  with  the  great  seaport  through  which 
our  weekly  news  from  the  home  land  reached  us. 

All  our  missionaries  who  could  come  were  present  at 
this  annual  meeting,  which  was  in  some  respects  a 
memorable  one.  At  this  time  was  inaugurated  the 
devotional  hour,  preceding  breakfast  and  the  usual 
prayer  with  which  the  work  of  each  day  began.  Those 
early  morning  meetings  proved  so  profitable  spiritually 
that  they  have  ever  since  been  continued  at  our  annual 
gatherings. 


IN    THE    HEART   OF    INDIA.  213 

The  business  sessions  which  occupied  the  greater  part 
of  each  day  were  held  in  my  husband's  study,  an  un- 
usually large  room.  The  central  room  of  the  bungalow 
which  was  oar  sitting-room,  was  the  social  rallying 
place.  In  two  rooms  adjoining  the  sitting-room,  and 
having  each  a  veranda,  was  spread  our  common  table. 
In  two  remaining  rooms  some  of  our  guests  were  accom- 
modated at  night,  but  the  majority  were  quartered  in 
tents  pitched  in  the  compound.  According  to  custom 
our  evenings  were  occupied  with  the  reading  and  hear- 
ing of  reports  from  the  various  stations. 

Our  annual  mission  meetings  generally  continue  about 
the  same  length  of  time  as  the  sittings  of  our  General 
Assembly  at  home.  No  greater  mistake  could  be  made 
than  to  suppose  that  missionaries  in  foreign  lands  are 
essentially  different  from  Christian  workers  in  the  home 
department  of  the  great  harvest  field.  It  need  not 
therefore  excite  wonder  that,  following  the  example  of 
those  who  seek  to  provide  in  some  way  restful  recreation 
for  the  members  of  our  General  Assemblies,  we  had 
planned  that  at  some  time  during  the  meeting  at  Jhansi 
our  friends  should  enjoy  with  us  an  excursion  to  the 
Barwa  Sagar  castle  and  lake.  That  something  of  this 
sort  is  not  more  commonly  done  by  us  here  in  India  is 
doubtless  largely  due  to  the  fact  that  there  is  very  little 
which  is  worth  seeing  in  the  immediate  vicinity 
of  most  of  our  stations.  Jhansi,  however,  being  unique 
in  respect  of  its  having  near  at  hand  a  variety  of  places 
worthy  of  a  visit,  w^e  resolved  to  improve  the  oppor- 
tunity which  our  situation  at  this  new  station  afforded,  of 
taking  what  would  be  for  us  all  an  entirely  new  departure. 
The  excursion  to  Barwa  Sagar  could  be  made  either  by 
rail  or  the  macadamised  road.  The  latter  was  chosen, 
as  it  would  afford  us  more  freedom  and  more  enjoyment. 


214  IN    THE    HEAKT    OF    INDIA. 

On  the  day  appointed  for  the  outing  we  started  early  in 
the  morning  in  a  variety  of  conveyances,  the  most 
comfortable  of  which  were  reserved  for  the  ladies,  and  a 
drive  of  eight  miles  brought  us  to  the  river  Betwa.  Here 
ferry-boats  of  the  most  primitive  style,  propelled  by 
diminutive  paddles,  conveyed  our  vehicles  and  ourselves 
across  a  broad  expanse  of  water  artificially  created.  At 
the  distance  of  seventeen  miles  from  the  point  where  we 
crossed  the  river  a  strong  stone  embankment,  stopping 
the  flow  of  a  comparatively  small  river,  forms  the  lake 
which  is  used  as  a  feeder  to  a  great  irrigation  system. 

Although  we  were  more  than  half  an  hour  in  crossing 
by  the  ferry,  the  time  was  none  too  long  for  the  enjoy- 
ment of  the  quiet  movement  of  the  boats,  and  the  rare 
beauty  of  the  scene  on  either  bank,  and  up  and  down  the 
river  as  far  as  the  eye  could  see.  On  disembarking  we 
again  took  our  places  in  our  vehicles  and  were  driven  a 
distance  of  three  miles  by  a  beautifully  shaded  road  to  the 
castle  by  the  lake-side.  On  one  side,  the  fields  irrigated 
by  the  water  from  the  lake  were  beautifully  green,  while 
great  tamarind  and  mango  trees  and  lofty  palms  adorn- 
ed the  landscape.  In  the  morning  sun  the  placid  lake 
shone  like  a  mirror,  its  rocky  island  appeared  like  a 
gem  on  its  surface,  and  charming  v/ere  the  views  of  its 
wooded  shore,  the  fantastic  piles  of  rock  beyond,  and 
the  distant  hills.  The  old  castle,  and  the  wonderful 
stone  embankment  of  the  lake,  furnished  completeness 
to  the  scene,  which  in  the  opinion  of  all  who  enjoyed  it 
that  day,  surpassed  anything  they  had  ever,  beheld  on 
the  plains  of  India. 

When  for  the  time  being  our  friends  were  satisfied 
with  seeing,  all  were  called  to  breakfast,  which  was 
served  in  one  of  the  upper  rooms  of  the  castle.  Follow- 
ing breakfast  we  assembled  for  "family  prayers,"  and 


IN    THE   HEART    OF   INDIA.  215 

probably  never  before  within  those  walls  had  so  large  a 
company  united  their  voices  in  praising  God.  In  a 
pavilion,  built  on  a  terrace  overlooking  the  lake,  the 
gentlemen  met  for  a  business  session,  and  thus  on  this 
memorable  day  work  and  pleasure  were  combined. 
After  luncheon  a  part  of  the  company  spent  an  hour  or 
more  in  strolling  about  the  beautiful  park-like  expanse, 
while  others  found  enjoyment  in  boating  on  the  lake. 
Returning  we  reached  Jhansi  just  as  the  darkness  came 
on,  and  when  in  the  mission  bungalow  we  gathered 
around  the  table  for  the  evening  meal,  tired  though  some 
of  the  number  were,  there  was  not  one  who  did  not  feel 
that  the  day  had  been  well  spent. 

The  crowning  event  of  this  first  mission  meeting  in 
Jhansi  was  the  laying  of  the  corner-stone  of  the  church 
in  the  city.  This  ceremony  took  place  on  the  afternoon 
of  the  21st  of  November.  On  the  level  space  within 
the  foundation  walls,  which  were  then  a  little  above  the 
ground,  cotton  carpets  had  been  spread,  upon  which  the 
members  of  the  mission,  and  a  few  friends  who  were  in- 
terested in  our  work,  took  their  seats  in  chairs  which 
had  been  provided  for  them.  On  the  higher  ground 
opposite  the  church- site  great  numbers  of  people  from 
the  city  hearing  that  something  unusual  was  to  be  done 
had  assembled.  Soon  the  road  was  entirely  blocked  by 
the  crowd,  but  no  inconvenience  seemed  to  arise  from 
this,  as  all  passers-by  were  ready  to  join  the  multitude  of 
spectators  who  were  eager  to  witness  the  ceremony 
about  to  take  place.  The  exercises  consisted  of  prayers, 
the  reading  of  passages  of  Scripture,  the  singing  of  a 
hymn  prepared  for  the  occasion,  and  brief  addresses,  all 
being  in  Hindustani,  except  the  hymn  which  was  in 
English. 

The  on-lookers  were  told  that  on  the  foundation  which 


216  IN   THE   HEART    OF    INDIA. 

had  been  laid  was  to  be  erected  a  temple  to  the  living  God, 
a  sanctuary  for  God's  worship,  to  which  all  would  be 
welcomed.  It  was  to  be  built  in  their  midst,  because  it 
was  intended  for  the  use  of  the  people  of  the  city  of 
Jhansi.  The  corner-stone  was  then  swung  into  its  place 
and  "  duly  laid,"  the  doxology  was  sung,  and  the  majority 
of  the  missionary  party  returned  to  the  mission  house, 
while  a  few  remained  some  time  longer  to  preach  to  the 
large  audience  which  the  novel  circumstances  had 
brought  together. 

The  laying  of  the  corner-stone  of  God's  house  within 
the  walls  of  this  heathen  city  was  an  event  full  of 
interest  to  all  who  had  participated  in  the  exercises  con- 
nected with  it,  and  to  us  who  had  toiled  in  preparation 
for  it,  it  was  a  time  full  of  promise  for  the  future.  The 
inscription  on  the  corner-stone  is  this, 

"  Other  foundation  can  no  man  lay 
than  that  which  is  laid^  which  is 
JESUS  GHBIST.*' 

An  incident  belonging  to  this  occasion,  which  touched 
us  deeply,  must  here  be  recorded.  Before  leaving  us  to 
return  to  their  homes  our  friends  unsolicited  presented 
us  with  a  generous  sum  of  money,  their  gift  to  us  to 
aid  in  the  erection  of  this  "house  of  prayer." 


XXIV. 
PROGRESS  IN  VARIOUS  DIRECTIONS. 

On  the  5th  of  March,  1890,  Id  accordance  with  the 
direction  of  the  Presbytery  of  Allahabad  a  Church  was 
organised  in  Jhansi,  and  catechist  Dharm  Singh  was 
chosen  ruling  elder.  Such  was  the  outward  beginning 
of  the  spiritual  House  of  God — the  Church  of  the  living 
God — intended  to  be  the  pillar  and  ground  of  the  truth 
in  the  midst  of  this  heathen  city. 

As  to  the  material  structure  in  which  God's  people 
were  to  assemble  for  his  worship,  and  in  which  his  truth 
was  to  be  proclaimed  and  his  ordinances  dispensed,  with 
the  exception  of  a  few  months  when  the  work  was 
suspended  for  lack  of  bricks,  its  growth  went  on  apace. 
During  its  construction  there  was  hardly  a  day  when  it 
was  not  necessary  for  my  husband  to  watch  the  work,  lest 
it  should  not  be  properly  done,  and  lest  bad  materials 
should  be  used.  This  entailed  a  very  heavy  and  con- 
stant burden  of  care,  in  the  bearing  of  which  he  enjoyed 
the  satisfaction  of  knowing  that  the  work  throughout 
was  well  done,  which  in  itself  was  no  slight  reward. 
The  main  part  of  the  work  was  carried  out  by  contract, 
and  while  the  European  contractors  who  resided  in 
Allahabad  were  honorable  men  and  desired  that  the 
work  should  be  well  done,  the  sub-contractors  who  did 
the  work,   and  the  persons  employed  to  look  after  it, 


*218  IN    THE    HEART   OF   INDIA. 

were  not  so  much  concerned  to  advance  our  interests  as 
their  own.  Consequently  on  several  occasions  it  was 
necessary  to  suspend  operations,  because  the  work  was 
not  being  satisfactorily  done,  and  to  await  directions 
from  the  contractors  in  Allahabad,  after  representations 
had  been  sent  to  them  both  by  my  husband  and  those 
who  were  doing  the  work ;  and  to  the  credit  of  the 
European  firm  it  is  a  pleasure  to  be  able  to  say  that 
they  invariably  accepted  my  husband's  statements 
implicitly,  and  gave  orders  that  his  wishes  should  be 
complied  with  ;  and  this  was  done  notwithstanding  that 
their  principal  agent  in  Jhansi  was  of  the  same  nation- 
ality as  themselves.  M.y  husband  received  valuable 
assistance  from  time  to  time  from  a  number  of  English 
engineers  residing  in  Jhansi.  During  an  entire  mouth 
when  he  was  absent  from  home  while  the  foundations 
were  being  laid,  a  royal  engineer  frequently  inspected 
the  work.  This  assistance  was  all  the  more  prized 
because  it  was  gratuitously  given. 

"  We  must  sometime  have  a  tower  for  our  church," 
we  had  said  ;  and  the  architect's  plan  of  the  building 
included  a  tower  with  a  spire ;  but  when  we  began  to 
build  we  did  not  see  our  way  to  carry  out  the  entire 
plan.  In  the  hope,  however,  that  the  tower  might 
sometime  be  built  we  had  been  advised  to  lay  the  found- 
ation for  it.  But  not  until  the  walls  of  the  church  began 
to  rise  did  we  decide  to  do  this.  The  place  for  the  tower 
was  at  the  angle  where  the  church  and  the  veranda  of 
the  reading-room  joined,  and  here  we  sank  deep  down 
in  the  earth  a  solid  mass  of  concrete  sufficient  to  sustain 
any  weight  which  might  be  put  upon  it.  It  was  well 
that  we  decided  to  do  so,  for  contributions  came  to  us  in 
such  generous  measure  that  at  length  we  were  able  to 
authorise  the  contractors  to  complete  the  building  accord- 


IN    THE    HEART    OF   INDIA.  219 

ing  to  the  original  scheme.  Our  spire  nciade  our  church, 
after  the  old  fortress,  the  most  conspicuous  landmark  in 
the  city.  '' It  is  impossible  to  get  out  of  sight  of  that 
spire,"  the  Hindust:ini  p3ople  say.  It  can  be  seen  from 
afar  by  people  approaching  the  city.  "When  strangers 
coming  to  Jhansi  see  our  church  tower  with  its  graceful 
spire  pointing  heavenward,  and  ask  what  it  is,  they  are 
told  that  this  is  the  place  where  the  Christians  meet  to 
worship  God,  and  so  our  tower  stands  in  the  midst  of 
pinnacled  heathen  temples  and  rainaretted  mosques,  a 
constant  witness  to  the  true  and  living  God. 

Wlien  the  contract  for  building  the  church  was  given, 
it  was  expressly  stipulated  that  no  work  should  be  done 
on  the  Lord's  day.  On  the  opposite  side  of  the  road 
from  our  church,  hospital  buildings  were  being  erected 
by  the  government  at  the  same  time  that  our  church  was 
being  built,  and  work  on  these  buildings  went  on  without 
cessation  during  the  seven  days  of  the  week,  while  the 
work  on  our  church  was  regularly  suspended  from 
Saturday  night  until  Monday  morning.  Our  regard 
for  the  Christian  Sabbath  was  thus  very  markedly 
shown,  and  that  God's  blessing  was  with  us  was  very 
manifest,  for  although  women  and  children  were 
employed  in  carrying  bricks  and  mortar  for  the  work  on 
the  walls  and  the  tower,  and  were  constantly  ascending 
and  descending  on  ladders  which,  as  they  were  made  of 
bamboo  sticks  and  strings,  had  frequently  to  be  repaired, 
yet  during  the  progress  of  the  entire  work  no  one  was  in 
any  way  injured. 

The  plot  of  land  on  which  our  church  was  built  was 
large  enough  to  afford  room  for  the  walls  of  our  structure, 
but  neither  on  the  front  side,  nor  in  the  rear,  was  more 
space  left  than  was  needed  for  a  narrow  footpath,  and 
at  first  there  seemed  to  be  no  prospect  for  the  enlarge- 


220  IN    THE    HEART    OF   INDIA. 

ment  of  the  ground  in  any  direction.  Contrary  to  our 
expectation,  however,  we  were  in  due  tinne  able  to  secure 
all  the  additions  which  either  our  cramped  position 
seemed  to  require,  or  which  for  our  greater  comfort  were 
much  to  be  desired.  These  additions  were  obtained  not 
all  at  one  time,  nor  through  a  single  official,  but  at 
different  times,  and  through  various  officials,  as  circum- 
stances opened  the  way.  The  first  addition  obtained 
was  a  strip  of  ground  twelve  feet  in  width  at  the  rear  of 
the  building.  This  acquisition  was  of  the  greatest 
importance,  as  it  secured  the  removal  of  huts  and  a 
cattle-pound  whose  close  proximity  to  us  was  most 
objectionable.  This  addition  was  soon  extended  at  one 
end  to  the  width  of  fifteen  feet,  and  at  the  other  end  to  a 
much  greater  width.  Then  toward  the  road  our 
boundary  was  finally  fixed  at  the  distance  of  eleven  feet 
from  one  corner,  and  about  forty  feet  from  the  other. 
This  was  a  very  special  favor,  as  the  result  of  this 
enlargement  was  the  narrowing  of  the  public  road. 
Lastly,  we  were  able  to  secure  on  a  fifty  years'  lease  the 
entire  plot  of  land  at  ihe  rear  of  the  church,  averaging 
about  one  hundred  and  twenty  feet  in  width,  and 
extending  to  the  public  road,  a  distance  of  two  hundred 
feet.  This  clear  space,  affording  us  a  sufficient  com- 
pound, was  made  over  to  us  by  the  government  on 
condition  of  our  paying  for  the  use  of  it  the  sum  of  four 
dollars  per  annum  ! 

The  crowning  event  of  the  year  1890  was  the  addition 
to  our  staff  of  a  missionary  and  his  wife — the  Kev.  H.  D. 
and  Mrs.  Griswold — a  greatly  desiderated  and  much 
needed  reinforcement.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Griswold  reached 
India  in  time  to  be  present  at  the  annual  meeting  of  the 
mission  which  was  held  in  Etawah  in  November,  and  at 
our  urgent  request,  and  to  our  great  joy,  were  appointed 


IN   THE   HEART   OF   INDIA.  221 

to  Jhansi.  They  accompanied  us  when  we  returned  to  our 
station,  and  lived  with  us  for  three  months,  after  which 
time  they  took  up  their  abode  in  their  own  hired 
house. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Griswold  within  a  year  after  their 
arrival  in  India  were  able  to  engage  in  evangelistic  work 
in  the  villages  of  the  district,  and  they  found  this  work 
most  interesting  and  encouraging.  They  were  accom- 
panied by  catechist  Dharm  Singh,  who  has  always 
shown  great  zeal  in  this  work. 

The  work  in  the  district  ought  to  be  carried  on 
uninterruptedly  during  five  or  six  months  of  each  year 
by  a  missionary  specially  set  apart  for  it,  and  aided  by 
native  preachers  ;  and  during  the  remainder  of  the  year, 
when  it  might  not  be  possible  on  account  of  the  great 
heat  to  prosecute  this  work  continuously  as  in  the 
cooler  weather,  frequent  visits  could  be  made  to  those 
villages  where  any  special  interest  in  the  Gospel  mess- 
age had  been  manifested.  It  stands  to  reason  that 
the  work  in  the  station  and  in  the  district  can  never 
be  effectively  prosecuted  by  a  single-handed  mission- 
ary. Were  the  one  missionary  able  to  divide  himself 
into  two,  then  it  might  be  possible  to  multiply  his 
efforts,  but  as  he  cannot  be  in  two  places  at  the  same 
time,  one  work  must  necessarily  suffer  while  he  is 
engaged  elsewhere  in  another.  It  is  in  vain  therefore  to 
exhort  him  to  make  up,  by  increased  effort,  for  the 
paucity  of  help  as  yet  furnished  by  the  Church  at  home, 
when  he  is  already  accomplishing  in  one  sphere  all  that 
he  is  able  to  do.  For  each  of  our  central  stations  with 
its  surrounding  district  at  least  two  missionaries  should 
be  provided.  It  is  therefore  the  earnest  hope  of  the 
mission  that  we  may  be  speedily  reinforced  all  along  the 
line,  that  the  battle  with  heathenism  may  be  foi'ght  more 


222  IN   THE   HEART  OF   INDIA. 

successfully,  and  that  the  victory  for  Christ  on  the  fields 
we  have  chosen  may  be  the  sooner  achieved. 

During  the  cold  season  of  1890-91  we  were  favored 
with  a  visit  from  Mr.  W.  H.  Grant  of  New  York.  lb  is 
always  a  pleasure  to  us  to  receive  visits  from  pilgrims 
from  the  home  land,  if  they  are  in  sympathy  with  us  and 
our  work.  Mr.  Grant  was  such  a  visitor.  On  one  of 
the  days  when  he  was  with  us  we  went  to  the  city  to 
see  the  sculptured  stone,  weighing  several  hundred 
pounds,  intended  for  the  pinnacle  of  the  church  spire, 
lifted  to  its  place.  The  hero  of  this  by  no  means 
insignificant  achievement  was  a  Swede,  who  had  been 
employed  by  us  as  a  day-laborer  for  some  time.  After 
the  stone  had  been  successfully  placed  in  the  position  for 
which  it  was  designed,  and  all  who  had  been  engaged  in 
the  operation  of  elevating  and  adjusting  this  top-stone  of 
our  spire  had  safely  descended  to  the  ground,  the 
missionaries  of  the  station,  together  with  Mr.  Grant  and 
the  Eev.  Nabibakhsh,  gathered  under  a  tree  near  by  and 
sang  the  long  metre  doxology.  Mr.  Grant  then  photo- 
graphed the  unfinished  church,  and  the  picture  which  he 
took  as  a  memento  of  this  interesting  occasion  is  repro- 
duced in  this  book. 


CHURCH  IN  COURSE  OF  ERECTION, 


XXV. 

AN  ENGLISH  LIBRARY  OBTAINED   FOR    OUR 
READING-ROOM. 

We  had  resolved  to  make  the  reading-room  as  inviting 
as  possible,  and  we  therefore  regarded  a  good  English 
library  as  an  indispensable  requisite.  Of  infidel  and 
impure  literature  which  is  accessible  to  English  readers 
in  India,  much  of  which  is  even  thrust  in  the  way  of 
young  men,  there  is  no  lack.  To  place  wholesome  and 
instructive  reading  within  reach  of  the  educated  and 
English-speaking  young  men  of  Jhansi  seemed  therefore 
very  desirable.  Many  young  Indians  who  have  but  an 
imperfect  knowledge  of  English  are  fond  of  pondering 
over  English  books,  and  of  those  who  have  pursued 
English  studies  in  the  schools,  not  to  say  the  colleges, 
there  are  not  a  few  who  are  able  to  appreciate  almost 
any  English  book  which  may  be  placed  in  their  hands. 

As  we  had  no  money  with  which  to  purchase  such 
books  as  we  desired  to  obtain,  our  only  resource  was  to 
seek  to  interest  in  our  enterprise  those  who  could  aid 
us  with  their  contributions.  Letters  giving  full  informa- 
tion in  regard  to  our  mission  station,  and  the  agencies 
we  were  employing  and  desired  to  employ  for  promoting 
the  well-being  of  different  classes  of  the  people  were 
accordingly  addressed  to  a  number  of  individuals  and 
Churches  in  different  parts  of  the  world,  to  whom  we 


224  IN    THE    HEART    OF    INDIA. 

were  known,  and  also  to  a  number  of  religious  societies 
and  publishing  houses  in  the  United  States  and  Great 
Britain ;  and  beyond  our  most  sanguine  expectations, 
sympathetic  and  generous  responses  were  promptly 
received.  I  cannot  now  recall  a  single  refusal  to  comply 
with  my  request  for  aid.  The  officers  of  one  or  two 
Societies  did  indeed  at  first  write  that  while  they  were 
deeply  interested  in  our  project,  they  greatly  regretted 
that  the  rules  of  their  Societies  would  not  permit  them  to 
make  us  free  grants  of  books ;  but  in  each  of  these  cases 
a  second  letter  followed  the  first,  saying  that  the  cir- 
cumstances were  so  exceptional  that  they  had  decided 
that  their  rules  might  be  relaxed  in  our  favor. 

One  or  two  thoughtful  friends  not  only  made  liberal 
gifts  themselves,  but  in  their  replies  to  my  communica- 
tions mentioned  other  persons  to  whom  application 
might  be  made  with  good  hope  of  success. 

An  English  lady,  the  widow  of  a  military  officer  who 
had  spent  a  number  of  years  in  India  when  her  husband 
was  connected  w^ith  the  Indian  army,  whose  acquaintance 
we  had  made  in  the  Waldensian  Valleys  while  taking 
our  first  furlough,  when  informed  of  what  we  were 
attempting  in  the  way  of  obtaining  a  library  of  English 
books  for  our  reading-room,  expressed  great  interest  in 
our  undertaking,  and  secured  for  us  a  fine  collection  of 
choice  fresh  volumes. 

The  people  of  the  Cairns  Memorial  Presbyterian 
Church  of  Melbourne,  to  whom  we  were  in  other  ways 
deeply  indebted  for  help  in  carrying  on  our  work,  sent 
us  a  box  of  books. 

All  the  contributors  cannot  here  be  mentioned.  It 
may  suffice  to  say  that  before  the  end  of  the  year  we  had 
obtained  a  library  of  more  than  one  thousand  volumes  of 
valuable  books,  and  that  to  all  the  contributors,  whether 


IN   THE   HEART   OF   INDIA.  225 

individuals,  or  Societies,  or  Churches,  or  pubUshing 
houses  letters  conveying  our  grateful  thanks  were  sent. 

As  the  reader  may  wish  to  know  something  about  the 
reading-room  itself,  a  brief  description  of  it  may  here  be 
given.  It  is  the  room  which  in  the  picture  appears  to  the 
right  of  the  tower.  It  "is  forty  feet  in  length  and 
twenty-five  feet  in  breadth,  and  is  connected  by  a  broad 
and  beautiful  arch  with  that  part  of  the  church  which  at 
present  suffices  for  our  sanctuary  for  public  worship.  A 
movable  screen,  placed  beneath  the  arch,  is  all  that 
separates  the  reading-room  from  the  present  audience 
room  of  the  church,  so  that  both  rooms  can  easily  be 
thrown  into  one  whenever  occasion  requires.  Length- 
wise of  the  reading-room,  in  its  central  space,  are  placed 
two  long  tables,  on  one  of  which  are  found  a  variety  of 
religious  periodicals,  and  one  clean  secular  newspaper. 
Some  of  the  periodicals  are  printed  in  the  vernacular 
languages,  but  the  majority  are  English.  Bibles  and 
portions  of  the  Scriptures  in  the  vernaculars  of  this  part 
of  India  and  of  other  provinces  also,  as  well  as  in  English, 
Arabic,  Persian  and  Sanskrit  find  a  place  upon  this  table. 
Eanged  against  the  wall  on  one  side  of  the  room  are 
four  large  book-cases  containing  the  English  books. 
Eeligious  and  other  useful  books  in  Urdu  and  Hindi — the 
vernaculars  of  this  part  of  India-— are  not  as  numerous 
as  we  could  wish,  but  still  they  comprise  a  goodly 
number,  and  we  have  the  greater  part  of  them  in  our 
library.  Of  all  the  books  which  our  library  contains, 
none  is  so  much  read  as  the  Bible. 

On  the  walls  of  the  room  are  the  two  large  Dore  en- 
gravings— "Christ's  Entry  into  Jerusalem,"  and  "  The 
Descent  from  the  Praetorium  "  ;  also  a  large  engraving, 
representing  the  "Condemnation  of  Huss " ;  together 
with  fine  portraits  of  Washington  and  Lincoln.     Above 

15 


226  IN    THE    HEART    OF   INDIA. 

the  portrait  of  "  The  Father  of  his  Country  "  is  fastened  a 
small  wooden  hatchet,  brought  from  Mount  Vernon,  and 
made  possibly  from  a  piece  of  a  cherry-tree !  On  easels 
in  two  corners  of  the  room  are  pictures  of  "  Christ 
Before  Pilate,"  and  "  The  Ships  of  Columbus  in  Sight  of 
Land."  Chairs  for  visitors  encircle  the  reading  table, 
while  an  artistic  clock  of  large  size,  and  a  line  American 
globe,  mounted  on  a  suitable  stand,  complete  the  furni- 
ture of  this  attractive  room. 

While  writing  the  closing  lines  of  this  chapter,  the 
appreciative  rem.ark  of  an  English-speaking  Hindu 
resident  of  Jhansi,  who  was  invited  to  look  at  the 
reading-room  when  it  was  ready  for  use,  and  was  told 
that  the  privileges  which  it  afforded  could  be  enjoyed  by 
any  one  free  of  charge,  is  recalled.  *'  This,"  said  he,  "  is 
nothing  but  pure  benevolence."  We  were  glad  to  have 
from  so  intelligent  a  non-Christian  man  as  he  was,  such  a 
recognition  of  the  tri^e  character  of  our  missionary  work 
in  at  least  one  of  its  departments. 

The  reading-room,  which  is  well  lighted,  is  kept  open 
each  week-day  evening,  this  being  the  time  when  most 
persons  can  find  leisure  to  visit  it. 


XXVI. 

THE  COMPLETION  OF  THE  CHURCH,  AND 

ITS  DEDICATION,  FEB.  27th,  1902. 

As  the  church  approached  completion  the  agent  of 
the  contractors,  to  whom  the  workmen  were  immedi- 
ately responsible,  grew  more  and  more  negligent.  My 
husband  therefore  determined  to  propose  to  the  Allahabad 
firm  that  he  would  release  them  from  any  further  responsi- 
bility for  the  building,  and  would  himself  undertake  to 
finish  it,  in  case  such  an  arrangement  should  be  entirely 
agreeable  to  them.  They  had  uniformly  acted  in  the  most 
honorable  manner  in  their  dealings  with  us,  and  they  now 
at  once  expressed  their  entire  willingness  to  agree  to  my 
husband's  proposal,  saying  at  the  same  time  that  they  were 
the  more  ready  to  be  released  from  their  obligation,  since 
the  work  already  done  by  them  had  been  done  at  a  loss, 
a  fact  about  which  they  had  up  to  that  time  kept  silent. 

It  was  just  after  the  spire  had  been  finished  that  my 
husband  undertook  to  complete  the  building,  and  much 
work  that  required  the  most  careful  oversight  then 
remained  to  be  done  both  on  the  outside  and  in  the  inside 
of  the  structure.  He  would  not  at  this  time  have 
voluntarily  assumed  such  a  burden,  had  not  the  taking 
up  of  this  task,  heavy  as  he  knew  it  would  be,  seemed  to 
him  the  lesser  of  two  evils.  We  expected  to  leave  India 
in  a   few   months,    and   all   the  arrangements  for    our 


228  IN   THE   HEART  OF   INDIA. 

furlough  to  the  United  States  had  in  the  meantime  to  be 
made.  It  is  hardly  needful  to  say,  that  to  do  the  thousand 
and  one  things  which  it  was  necessary  for  us  to  do  before 
we  left,  in  addition  to  getting  the  church  ready  for 
dedication,  required  all  the  exertion  which  it  was  possible 
for  us  to  put  forth. 

As  our  church  tower  was  completed,  we  desired  to  see 
it  servinR  at  the  earliest  possible  date  the  special  purpose 
for  which  it  was  erected.  From  the  Mahomedan  mosque 
the  muezzin  in  sonorous  accents  calls  the  faithful  to 
assemble  for  the  purpose  of  reciting  the  prescribed 
namaz,  which  in  English  is  misnam-ed  prayer ;  and 
from  the  Hindu  temple  is  heard  the  sound  of  the  gong 
or  conch,  which  is  meant  to  inform  not  only  the  wor- 
shippers of  the  god,  but  the  god  himself,  of  what  is  going 
on  at  the  sacred  shrine.  That  from  our  church  tower  a 
sweet-toned  bell  should  summon  the  worshippers  of  the 
true  God  to  render  unto  him  in  his  house  the  honor  due 
to  his  name  would  be  eminently  proper,  and  we  hoped  to 
see  such  a  bell  hanging  in  the  place  made  ready  for  it 
before  the  dedication  of  the  building  should  take  place.. 

We  had  no  money  with  which  to  purchase  it,  but  again 
the  pen,  of  which  at  other  times  and  for  similar  purposes 
use  had  been  made,  was  set  in  motion,  and  our  object 
was  soon  gained.  A  letter  was  sent  to  the  Meneely  Bell 
Company  of  Troy,  N.  Y.,  describing  the  kind  of  bell 
which  we  desired  to  procure,  and  telling  them  that  if 
they  could  furnish  it,  we  hoped  they  would  allow  us  to 
pay  for  it  in  installments,  as  the  money  for  this  purpose 
was  not  in  hand.  They  promptly  replied  that  they  were 
entirely  willing  to  furnish  the  bell  on  the  terms  proposed, 
and  at  cost  price,  and  it  was  soon  sent.  After  hearing 
from  Messrs.  Meneely  and  Company,  we  wrote  to  that 
ever  responsive  Body,  the  Philadelphia  Ladies'  Board,  to 


IN    THE    HEART    OF   INDIA.  229 

tell  them  that  we  had  purchased  a  bell  for  our  church 
tower  that  it  was  on  its  way  to  us  from  America,  and 
that  we  had  made  ourselves  personally  responsible  for 
the  cost  of  it ;  and  we  added  that  should  any  friend  or 
friends  feel  interested  in  this  investment  and  wish  to  share 
it  with  us,  we  should  be  most  happy  to  allow  them  to  do 
80.  In  response  to  this  letter  a  generous  contribution  of 
about  $  70  was  received,  which  very  materially  assisted 
us  in  meeting  the  responsibility  we  had  incurred. 
As  leisure  was  found  for  writing,  various  articles  were 
sent  to  American  papers,  and  the  sums  received  in 
payment  for  these  were  applied  to  reduce  the  debt,  until 
all  that  remained  to  be  paid  was  the  final  installment, 
which  was  not  a  large  amount,  together  with  a  part  of  the 
expense  for  transportation  from  Bombay  to  Jhansi. 

Just  at  this  time  a  letter  came  from  a  dear  friend 
connected  with  the  Fourth  Presbyterian  Church  of 
Trenton,  N.  J.,  telling  us  of  the  death  within  a  few  weeks 
of  each  other  of  both  her  parents.  They  had  been 
during  their  lives  zealous  and  generous  supporters  both 
of  home  and  foreign  missions,  and  in  the  opening  of 
Jhansi  and  the  surrounding  region  to  the  Gospel  had  felt 
a  deep  interest.  Our  friend  wrote  that  in  remembrance 
of  her  parents,  and  as  a  thank-offering  that  they  had  been 
spared  to  her  so  long,  she  was  sending  us  a  sum  of 
money  to  be  expended  in  whatever  way  we  might  choose 
in  connection  with  our  work.  We  decided  at  once  that  a 
part  of  this  sum  should  be  used  to  complete  the  payment 
for  the  bell;  and  we  had  a  use  for  the  remainder  which 
would  be  no  less  appropriate. 

At  the  time  when  the  walls  of  the  church  tower  began 
to  rise,  it  occurred  to  us  that  it  would  be  well  to  leave 
spaces  on  its  two  outer  sides,  and  at  a  suitable  distance 
from  its  base,  in  which   to   insert   white  marble  slabs 


230  IN    THE    HEART    OF    INDIA. 

bearing  inscriptions  of  selected  texts  from  thf;  Word  of 
God  in  the  English,  Hindi  and  Urdu  languages  in  black 
letters  so  large  and  plain  that  they  might  be  read 
without  difficulty  from  the  road  passing  the  church.  The 
truth  which  might  never  enter  the  ear,  might  thus  catch 
the  eye.  Accordingly  in  the  hope  that  v/e  might  some- 
time be  able  to  get  the  desired  tablets,  places  four  feet  in 
length,  two  feet  in  breadth,  and  two  inches  in  depth,  had 
been  made  ready  for  them. 

When  the  remittance  from  our  Trenton  friend  arrived, 
we  found  that  after  paying  the  balance  due  on  the  bell, 
there  would  be  left  in  our  hands  from  that  gift  a 
sufficient  sum  to  meet  the  cost  of  one  of  the  tablets.  The 
means  for  obtaining  the  second  tablet  also  were  so  soon 
provided  that  we  were  able  to  order  both  of  them  from 
Calcutta  at  the  same  time.  The  second  tablet  was  to  be 
in  memory  of  one  whom  God  took  to  himself  in  the 
morning  of  her  days — Harriet  B.  Talmage,  the  younger 
of  the  two  daughters  of  my  only  sister.  She  had  been 
intensely  interested  in  our  work  in  India,  and  had  some- 
times in  her  letters  expressed  a  desire  to  join  us,  but  as 
her  health  had  never  been  robust,  we  had  not  encouraged 
her  to  do  this.  After  her  departure  a  sum  of  money  which 
was  found  in  her  purse,  together  with  additions  made  by 
her  father  (her  mother  had  preceded  her  to  the  heavenly 
home),  her  sister  and  a  friend,  was  sent  to  us  with  the 
request  that  it  bv'i  used  in  any  way  we  desired  as  a 
memorial  of  the  dear  departed  one.  As  I  now  look  at 
the  inscriptions  upon  this  tablet,  the  loved  one  so  early 
called  away  seems  to  be  daily  making  known  the  Gospel, 
though  her  lips  have  long  been  closed. 

As  it  may  be  interesting  to  the  reader  to  know  what 
the  inscriptions  upon  these  tablets  are,  they  are  here 
given.     On  one  of  them  are  the  following  texts,  the  first 


IN    THE    HEART    OF    INDIA.  281 

two  being  in  English,  the  third  in  Persian-Urdu,  and  the 
fourth  in  Hindi : 

Faithful  is  the  smjing,  and  worthij  of  all  acceptation, 

that  Christ  Jesus  came  into  the  world  to  save  sinners. 
Believe  on  the  Lord  Jesus,  and  thou  shalt  be  saved. 
The  wages  of  sin  is  death  ;  hut  the  free  gift  of  God  is 

eternal  life  in  Christ  Jesus  our  Lord. 
Li  none  other  is  there  salvation :  for  neither  is  there  any 
other  name  under  heaven,  that  is  given  among  men, 
ivherein  we  must  he  saved. 
On  the  other  tablet  are  the  following  texts,   likewise 
in  English,  Persian-Urdu  and  Hindi : 

Come  wito  me,  all  ye  that  lahor  and  are  heavy    laden 

and  I  loill  give  you  rest.     Take  my  yoke  upon  yoUj 

and  learn  of  me  ;  for  I  am  meek  and  loicly  in  heart : 

and  ye  shall  find  rest  unto  your  souls. 

Look  unto  me,  and  he  ye  saved,  all  the  ends  of  the  earth  ; 

for  I  am  God,  and  there  is  none  else. 
God  so  loved  the   world,  that  he  gave  his  only  hegotten 
Son,    that   whosoever   helieveth    on   him  should  not 
perish,  but  have  eternal  life. 
Through  the  years  it  has  been   interesting  to   watch 
the  people  as  they  have  been  attracted  by  these  tablets, 
and  have  paused  to  read  the  messages   inscribed  upon 
them.     Those   who  daily  pass  by  have  become  familiar 
with  them,  but  strangers  who  can  read  are  often  seen 
standing  before   thecp   singly  or  in   groups,    sometimes 
Hindus,   sometimes    Mahomedans,    and   occasionally  a 
European.     One  day  we   saw  an  Englishman   standing 
before  the   tablets.     Seeing   the  doors  of   the    reading- 
room  open  he  entered.     He  was  a  stranger  in  India,  he 
said.     He  told  us  how  as  he   was  walking  through  the 
city  the  sight  of  the  beautiful  church  and  the  tablets  had 
attracted  his  attention.     He  had  been  a  wanderer  through 


232  IN    THE    HEART    OF    INDIA. 

the  earth,  but  did  not  tell  us  who  he  was.  May  it  not 
be  that  the  text  in  English,  "  Conie  unto  me,  all  ye  that 
labor  and  are  heavy  laden,  and  I  will  give  you  rest," 
was  a  message  to  his  soul  that  day  ? 

To  aid  us  in  praising  God  in  his  sanctuary  when  it 
should  be  ready  for  our  use,  an  organ  would  be  much 
needed.  We  had  already  deeply  felt  the  necessity  of 
obtaining  an  instrument  for  use  in  the  English  services 
which  were  being  held  in  the  school-house  in  the  mission 
compound ;  and  these  services  would,  for  the  con- 
venience of  those  who  attended  them,  continue  to  be  held 
there  after  the  completion  of  the  city  church  :  so  that 
our  need  in  respect  of  an  organ  would  soon  be  doubled. 
We  had  not  thought  of  trying  to  procure  at  this  time 
more  than  one  instrument ;  but  I  shall  now  relate  how, 
unexpectedly  to  us,  two  organs  were  provided  for  us. 

Furnishing  contributions  as  I  was  then  doing  for 
periodicals  of  the  Presbyterian  Board  of  Publication  in 
Philadelphia,  I  received  from  time  to  time  in  acknowledg- 
ment of  these  contributions  kind  letters  from  Dr.  Dulles, 
then  secretary  of  this  Board.  Having  been  in  former 
years  a  missionary  in  South  India  he  had  retained  a 
warm  interest  in  India  missions,  and  seldom  did  a 
business  letter  come  to  me  from  him.  which  did  not 
contain  some  pleasant  allusion  to  our  circumstances, 
accompanied  by  the  assurance  that  we  and  our  work 
were  frequently  remembered  by  him.  In  the  oc- 
cupation of  our  new  field  he- felt  a  deep  interest.  In 
the  last  letter  sent  to  this  valued  friend,  I  alluded  to 
our  need  of  an  organ  for  use  in  our  religious  services. 
This  letter  arriving  after  his  death,  fell  into  the  hands 
of  his  successor.  Dr.  J.  E.  Miller,  and  when  shortly 
after  it  was  received,  Dr.  H.  A.Nelson,  at  that  time 
editor   of  '*  The   Church    at    Home    and    Abroad,"  was 


IN    THE    HEART    OF   INDIA.  233 

calliog  at  Dr.  Miller's  office,  this  gentleman  taking  up 
the  letter  addressed  to  Dr.  Dulles,  put  it  into  the  hands 
of  Dr.  Nelson,  saying  as  he  did  so,  *'  This  letter,  I  am 
sure,  "will  interest  you." 

Dr.  Nelson,  after  reading  the  letter,  laid  it  down  with 
the  remark,  "  T  think  I  know  where  to  get  that  organ 
for  Mrs.  Holcomb."  This  was  not  a  merely  momentary 
impulse.  Action  promptly  followed,  which  resulted  in 
the  gift  to  us  from  the  Southern  Presbyterian  Church  of 
Independence,  Missouri,  of  an  excellent  instrument, 
which  in  due  time  reached  us  in  Jhansi,  and  is  still 
doing  good  service  in  our  church.  Dr.  Nelson  had  been 
for  a  time  the  highly  esteemed  pastor  of  the  Church  in 
Independence,  and  the  people  whom  he  had  there  served, 
and  who  held  him  in  loving  remembrance,  were  delight- 
ed to  respond  to  his  suggestion  that  they  might  do  good 
by  supplying  that  need  of  ours  with  which  my  letter  had 
acquainted  him,  and  them  also  through  him. 

When  the  news  reached  us  of  the  death  of  our  friend 
Dr.  Dulles,  not  thinking  that  my  letter  to  him,  in  which 
our  need  of  an  organ  had  been  mentioned,  might  fall 
into  the  hands  of  others  who  would  be  interested  in  us, 
I  wrote  on  the  same  subject  to  the  ladies  of  the  Phila- 
delphia Board,  and  they  with  the  promptitude  which  had 
marked  all  their  actions  in  furtherance  of  our  work,  set 
about  at  once  to  enlist  the  interest  of  friends  on  our 
behalf,  with  the  result  that  soon  a  very  fine  organ  was 
sent  to  us.  We  had  then  a  musical  aid  to  devotion  not 
only  for  our  Hindustani,  but  for  our  English  services  as 
well,  and  thus  the  inconvenience  of  constantly  moving  a 
single  instrument  back  and  forth  from  one  place  to 
another  was  obviated.  This  second  organ  came  from 
the  Fourth  Presbyterian  Church  of  Trenton,  N.  J.,  which 
for  more  than  thirty  years  has  kindly   permitted  me  to 


284  IN    THE    HEART    OF   INDIA. 

be  their  representative  in  the  foreign  field.  From 
members  of  this  Chm^ch  have  come  at  not  infrequent 
intervals  generous  gifts  for  our  work,  with  words  of 
sympathy  and  cheer  which  have  been  like  cordial  in 
times  of  depressing  anxiety. 

While  mentioning  these  organs  donated  to  us,  we 
take  the  opportunity  of  expressing  our  appreciation  of  a 
similar  gift,  a  portable  instrument,  for  use  in  camp  and 
elsewhere,  from  the  "  West  Hoboken  Band,"  connected 
with  the  West  Hoboken  Presbyterian  Church,  New 
Jersey. 

The  need  of  a  suitable  communion  service  for  our  new 
church  was  not  overlooked.  This  came  as  a  most 
welcome  gift  from  the  Presbyterian  Church  of  Girard, 
Pennsylvania,  the  home  of  my  childhood.  It  is  a  beauti- 
ful silver-plated  set  of  communion-ware,  and  bears  upon 
it  an  inscription,  which  will  serve  to  keep  the  donors  in 
memory  for  long  years  to  come. 

While  friends  in  America  were  thus  aiding  us,  it  must 
not  be  supposed  that  we  had  no  friends  nearer  at  hand. 
It  is  true  that  we  have  rarely  had  friends  of  our  own 
denomination  among  our  European  neighbors  in  Jhansi, 
but  we  have  found  among  them  not  a  few  members  of 
the  Church  of  England  who  have  manifested  a  real 
interest  in  our  work.  One  of  these,  the  wife  of  Major 
Kelsall,  of  the  Devonshire  Eegiment,  then  in  Jhansi, 
deserves  very  special  mention.  This  lady  and  I,  on 
meeting,  soon  found  that  we  had  mutual  friends, 
and  our  acquaintance,  thus  pleasantly  begun,  ripened 
into  one  of  the  warmest  friendships  of  my  Indian  life. 
Just  at  the  time  when  my  acquaintance  with  her  began, 
we  greatly  needed  some  one  to  preside  at  the  organ  and 
lead  the  singing  at  our  Sabbath  evening  EngUsh  service, 
and  we  determined  to  invite  our   newly -found  friend  to 


IN    THE    HEART   OF    INDIA.  235 

lend  us  her  aid.  This  she  very  kindly  consented  to  do, 
and  following  upon  this  took  charge  also  of  a  week-day 
singing  practice,  giving  herself  to  it  with  the  greater 
alacrity,  since  the  persons  conaposing  the  choir  were 
soldiers  of  her  husband's  regiment,  in  whose  welfare  she 
took  a  deep  interest.  She  was  an  accomplished  artist,  and 
was  accustomed  to  accompany  her  husband  on  his 
shooting  excursions,  when  she  would  improve  the 
opportunity  to  make  studies  of  the  wild  flowers  of  the 
neighborhood.  At  length  when  the  time  came  for  her  to 
leave  India  temporarily,  she  said  to  me,  '*  I  greatly 
desire  to  help  you  in  the  building  of  your  church,  but 
cannot  at  present  make  a  contribution  in  money  for  this 
purpose.  I  will,  however,  while  at  home  paint  four 
panels  of  Jhansi  wild  flowers,  and  have  them  put  together 
in  a  screen,  which  I  will  forward  to  any  friend  of  yours 
in  America,  whom  you  may  designate,  to  be  sold  for  the 
benefit  of  your  work."  In  due  time  the  screen  was 
made,  and  forwarded  at  our  request  to  our  friend.  Dr. 
Henry  M.  Field  of  New  York,  who  kindly  undertook  to 
dispose  of  it  for  us.  The  amount  received  for  the  screen, 
which  must  have  been  a  marvel  of  beauty,  was  four 
hundred  and  ten  dollars,  after  deducting  the  cost  of 
transportation.  The  letter  informing  us  of  the  sale  of 
the  screen,  and  containing  a  draft  for  the  amount 
realised,  reached  Jhansi  in  time  to  enable  us  to  send  the 
news  we  had  received  to  Mrs.  Kelsall  just  as  she  was 
again  setting  foot  upon  the  soil  of  India  on  her  return 
from  England.  It  cheered  her  greatly  to  hear  that  we 
had  received  for  the  product  of  her  brush  so  goodly  a 
sum. 

Another  lady  residing  in  Jhansi,  who  gave  us  a  liberal 
contribution  for  our  church  and  reading-room,  said  when 
sending   it,  "  I   liked   the    way   your  husband  put   the 


236  IN   THE   HEART   OF   INDIA. 

matter  before  us,  saying  that  he  would  be  glad  to  receive 
a  donation,  if  we  desired  to  avail  ourselves  of  the  pri- 
vilege of  helping  you  in  your  enterprise." 

While  referring  to  such  donations  as  these  for  our 
church,  one  or  two  contributions  for  our  work  may  also 
be  mentioned.  At  one  time  a  Lieutenant  of  the  garrison 
sent  us  five  hundred  rupees,  $  167,  for  the  support  of  a 
zenana  teacher.  Another  officer  of  the  garrison  requested 
me  to  send  him  our  subscription  book,  remarking  that 
he  was  accustomed  to  subscribe  to  the  local  mission 
wherever  he  was  stationed,  and  regular  subscriptions 
were  received  from  him  while  he  remained  in  Jhansi. 

The  members  of  our  Hindustani  congregation,  who 
were  able  to  help  at  all,  were  not  backward  in  tendering 
their  aid,  but  of  their  own  accord  brought  to  my  husband 
their  contributions  to  the  church  building  fund. 

Every  seamstress  knows  how  many  stitches  have  to  be 
taken  in  finishing  a  garment  after  it  begins  to  look  as  if 
the  making  of  it  were  completed.  So  it  was  in  regard  to 
the  last  things  which  required  attention  at  the  church, 
as  we  busied  ourselves  in  completing  the  arrangements 
for  the  dedicatory  service.  It  was  an  unspeakable 
comfort  at  such  a  time  to  have  the  kindly  assistance 
which  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Griswold  rendered  us,  and  to  know 
that  the  work  from  which  we  were  about  to  withdraw 
for  a  season  would  be  left  in  such  capable  hands.  The 
audience-room  of  the  church  was  at  length  furnished 
with  seats,  a  temporary  pulpit  was  provided,  the  organ 
was  put  in  its  place,  the  reading-room  library,  of  which 
we  were  justly  proud,  was  set  in  order  in  book-cases  lent 
for  the  purpose  until  others  could  be  provided,  the 
reading  table  was  supplied  with  periodicals  and  the 
Scriptures  in  various  languages,  the  bell  was  hung  in  the 
tower,  and  the  ground  around  the  church  was  put  in  order. 


IN    THE    HEART    OF    INDIA.  237 

The  day  and  hour  for  the  dedication  having  been  set, 
invitations  to  be  present  on  the  occasion  were  sent  to 
our  friends  in  Jhansi,  and  to  the  members  of  our 
mission  in  other  places.  On  account  of  the  time  and 
money  it  would  cost  them  to  conie,  because  of  the 
distances  which  separated  us,  none  of  our  fellow  mission- 
aries were  able  to  accept  our  invitation,  except  the  Kev. 
J.  S.  Woodside.  His  coming  was  looked  forward  to 
with  great  pleasure  on  account  of  the  very  great  interest 
he  had  felt  in  the  opening  up  of  the  work  at  Jhansi. 
We  were  also  to  enjoy  another  great  pleasure  which  we 
had  not  anticipated.  Mrs.  Scott,  who  had  been  for  so 
many  years  the  principal  of  the  Woodstock  school  at 
Landour,  ia  company  with  her  daughter,  was  spending 
a  part  of  her  cold  weather  holiday  within  the  bounds  of 
the  Furrukhabad  Mission,  with  which  in  the  earlier 
years  of  her  missionary  life  she  had  been  connected,  and 
we  received  a  note  from  her  asking  if  it  would  be  con- 
venient for  us  to  receive  them  for  a  brief  visit.  Nothing 
could  have  been  more  opportune  than  their  proposal  to 
visit  us  at  this  time,  and  accordingly  they  were  urged  to 
come  at  once,  that  they  might  enjoy  with  us  the  happy 
occasion  then  so  near  at  hand.  They  accordingly  came 
without  delay.  Never  had  we  seen  Mrs.  Scott  in 
apparently  better  health,  or  in  more  exuberant  spirits. 
She  had  greatly  enjoyed  her  visits  to  other  stations  of 
our  mission,  and  manifested  the  liveliest  interest  in  all 
she  saw  in  Jhansi,  and  especially  in  our  new  church  and 
reading-room.  Observing  that  both  my  husband  and 
myself  were  tired  and  worn,  she  said,  "  Leave  to  me 
and  my  daughter  all  care  in  regard  to  the  decoration 
of  the  church  for  the  dedicatory  service.  This  will 
relieve  you  somewhat,  and  it  will  be  a  great  pleasure  to  us 
to  take  charge  of  this  part  of  the  preparation."     We  grate- 


238  IN    THE    HEART    OF    INDIA. 

fully  accepted  their  kind  offer,  and  enjoyed  seeing  them 
happy  in  doing  what  they  could  do  so  well.  With  potted 
palms  and  other  plants,  and  with  cut  flowers  supplied  in 
abundance  from  our  own  garden  and  the  gardens  of 
friends,  arranged  by  their  artistic  hands,  both  the  church 
and  reading-room  were  made  most  attractive.  In  all 
this  decorative  work  Mrs.  Scott  was  the  guiding  spirit. 
Her  fine,  strong  face,  which  lighted  up  with  enthusiasm 
as  she  moved  about  putting  an  artistic  touch  here  and 
another  there,  looked  almost  youthful.  While  her  mother 
was  thus  employed,  her  daughter,  turning  to  me  with  a 
look  of  pride,  said,  **  Isn't  mamma  splendid  ?  " 

We  were  greatly  favored  in  having  Miss  Scott,  the 
teacher  of  music  in  the  Woodstock  school,  to  preside  at 
the  organ  at  the  dedicatory  service.  It  was  also  gratify- 
ing to  us  that  the  Kev.  J.  F.  Ullmann  of  our  mission,  to 
whom  the  Indian  Church  is  indebted  for  a  very  large 
number  of  its  best  hymns,  had  manifested  his  interest  in 
what  we  were  doing  by  writing  a  hymn  of  dedication  to 
be  used  at  this  time. 

The  wife  of  our  magistrate  had  from  the  beginning 
been  much  interested  in  the  progress  of  the  work  on  our 
church,  and  when  leaving  for  a  visit  to  England  had  said, 
*'  I  desire  very  much  to  be  present  when  the  church  is 
formally  dedicated,  and  therefore  I  cannot  wish  that  it 
may  be  completed  before  my  return  to  Jhansi."  It  was 
not  finished  until  some  time  after  her  return.  When  a 
time  had  been  appointed  for  the  dedication — Saturday 
morning,  February  27th,  our  friends  the  magistrate  and 
his  wife  were  invited  to  be  present.  They  had  made 
arrangements  for  a  garden-party  on  their  grounds  in  the 
afternoon  of  the  same  day  and  had  invited  us  to  be 
present  with  our  guests.  But  late  in  the  afternoon  of 
Friday  a  telegram  reached  us  from  Mr.  Woodside  telling 


IN    THE    HEART    OF   INDIA.  239 

US  that  a  change  in  the  railway  time-table,  of  which  he 
had  not  known,  had  caused  him  to  miss  the  night  train 
from  Agra  to  Jhansi,  and  requesting  us,  if  we  could,  to 
postpone  the  dedication  from  Saturday  morning  until 
Saturday  afternoon.  We  were  much  disappointed,  but 
as  Mr.  Woodside  was  the  only  one  of  our  own  mission 
outside  of  Jhansi  who  could  be  present  with  us,  and  as 
he  was  on  his  way  to  us,  we  wished  to  accede  to  his 
request,  if  it  should  be  found  possible  to  do  this.  The 
arrangements  of  others  besides  ourselves  had  of  course 
to  be  considered ;  but  not  without  hope  that  a  change 
in  our  plan  might  be  made,  my  husband  with  the 
telegram  in  hand  walked  across  the  road  to  the  magis- 
trate's house.  When  he  had  made  the  wife  of  the 
magistrate  acquainted  with  the  situation  of  affairs,  she 
at  once  said,  "  By  all  means  postpone  your  service 
to  the  afternoon,  if  you  can  possibly  do  so  ;  for  to  have 
the  service  proceed  without  Mr.  Woodside,  after  all  the 
trouble  he  has  taken  to  be  present,  would  be  a  great 
disappointment  to  him."  "But  what  about  your  ar- 
rangements?" queried  my  husband.  "  I  shall  not  miss 
being  present,"  was  the  reply.  **  I  shall  at  once  send 
out  notices  to  all  who  have  been  invited  to  our  garden- 
party,  informing  them  that  it  has  been  unavoidably 
postponed."  And  this  she  did,  to  her  no  small  incon- 
venience, as  all  the  arrangements  for  her  entertainment 
had  been  made.  We  accordingly  informed  our  English 
friends  in  regard  to  the  postponement  of  the  service,  and 
communicated  the  same  information  to  the  members  of 
our  Hindustani  congregation,  who  in  turn  made  known 
the  change  to  their  non-Christian  neighbors  who  desired 
to  be  present. 

Saturday   morning   dawned    brightly,    as  was   to   be 
expected  at  that  time  of  the  year.     A  restful  forenoon 


240  IN    THE    HEART   OF    INDIA. 

■was  much  enjoyed  after  the  busy  days  which  had  pre- 
ceded it,  and  early  in  the  afternoon  we  had  the  pleasure 
of  welcoming  our  friend  for  whose  coming  we  had 
waited.  The  hour  appointed  for  the  dedication  was 
5  P.M.,  but  going  ourselves  early  to  the  church  we  found 
that  people  from  the  city,  including  our  own  people 
living  there,  had  already  begun  to  assemble.  The 
members  of  our  Christian  congregation  were  naturally 
deeply  interested  in  what  was  about  to  take  place,  while 
many  non-Christians  were  present  merely  as  on-lookers, 
attracted  by  curiosity.  Among  the  non-Christians  pres- 
ent on  this  occasion  were  some  persons  who  were  in- 
teUigent  enough  and  also  unprejudiced  enough  to  feel 
some  sort  of  sympathy  with  us  as  missionaries.  Soon 
the  reading-room  and  church-room,  forming  that  day 
one  audience-room,  were  filled  with  people.  Very 
unique  and  interesting  was  this  congregation,  the  first  to 
gather  together  in  the  new  sanctuary  which  God  had 
given  us.  Among  the  Europeans  present  were  repre- 
sentatives of  the  civil  government,  as  well  as  military 
officers  from  the  garrison.  There  were  also  with  us 
visitors  from  abroad,  one  of  them  being  Lord  Had  stock, 
who  had  been  spending  a  few  weeks  in  Jhansi  engaged 
in  quiet  evangelistic  work  among  his  own  countrymen  ; 
and  another  being  an  English  lady  of  rank  who  was 
touring  in  India  for  the  purpose  of  extending  the  work 
of  the  Young  Women's  Christian  Association,  then  in  its 
infancy  in  this  country.  The  bell  in  the  church  tower 
had  been  ringing  out  its  welcome  to  all,  and  when  its 
sound  ceased,  the  organ  prelude  hushed  to  silence  the 
whole  assembly,  and  the  solemn  but  gladsome  service 
began.  Eesponsive  readings  of  passages  of  the  Scripture 
formed  a  part  of  the  exercises.  Hymns  printed  for  the 
occasion  had  been  distributed,   enabling  all  who  wished 


IN    THE    HEi^RT   OF   INDIA.  241 

to  do  SO,  to  take  part  in  praising  God.  The  preliminary 
part  of  the  service  being  ended,  the  object  of  the  gather- 
ing was  explained,  and  the  dedicatory  prayer  was  offered. 
Then  followed  the  doxology — "Praise  God  from  whom 
all  blessings  flow,"  and  the  benediction,  after  which  the 
congregation  dispersed. 

Before  leaving  the  church  our  European  friends  con- 
gratulated us  on  our  having  succeeded  in  buildin^^  so 
attractive  a  sanctuary.  Quite  unexpect^^edly  Lord 
Kadstock  had  previously  shown  his  interest  in  our 
enterprise  by  putting  into  my  husband's  hands  a  liberal 
contribution.  As  those  w^io  were  particularly  interested 
in  the  occasion  still  lingered  in  the  church,  Mrs.  Scott 
stood  at  my  side,  her  face  all  aglow  with  pleasure.  She 
could  not  have  been  more  interested,  nor  have  felt  a 
more  genuine  satisfaction,  had  the  building  been  one 
connected  wnth  her  own  special  work.  When  shortly 
after  her  return  to  Landour  she  was  seized  with  an 
illness  from  w^hich  she  did  not  recover,  we  felt  that  we 
had  special  cause  to  be  thankful  that  so  near  the  close 
of  her  earthly  life  we  were  privileged  to  have  her  with 
us  to  be  a  sharer  of  our  joy. 

At  the  conclusion  of  the  dedicatory  service  the 
reading-room  was  inspected  by  the  Indian  gentlemen 
present,  when  one  of  them  turning  to  m}^  husband  said, 
"  God  will  bless  you  for  this." 

On  the  Lord's  day  morning  following  the  dedication 
the  Lord's  Supper  was  administered  in  our  new  sanctuary, 
and  in  this  a  number  of  our  European  friends  partici- 
pated, including  the  visitors  from  England.  On  the 
afternoon  of  this  day  an  evangelistic  service  was  held  in 
the  church,  when  addresses  were  made  both  in  EngHsh 
and  Hindustani.  One  of  those  who  spoke  in  Hindustani 
was    ^Ir.    Woodside,    while   Lord    Kadstock    spoke   in 


V 


242  IN    THE    HEART    OF    INDIA. 

English,  the  substance  of  his  address  being  also  given  in 
Hindustani  for  the  benefit  of  those  who  did  not  under- 
stand English. 

Thus  began  and  thus  ended  the  first  Sabbath  services 
held  in  our  house  of  praj^er  in  the  city  of  Jhansi,  and 
there  regular  Christian  worship  on  the  Lord's  day  and 
on  Wednesday  afternoons  has  ever  since  been  continued. 


M.  E.  prb:8s,  mount  road,  madras,  1905. 


XXVII. 
THE  SELLING  OF  CHRISTIAN  LITERATURE. 


The  preparation  and  dissemination  of  Christian 
literature  is  an  indispensable  auxiliary  to  the  preaching 
of  the  Gospel  in  a  heathen  land.  In  this  department 
of  evangelistic  effort  the  first  place  belongs  to  the  trans- 
lation, printing,  and  circulation  of  the  Scriptures.  It  is 
essential,  however,  that  this  work  be  supplemented  by 
the  writing,  publication,  and  dissemination  of  such 
tracts  and  books  as  shall  serve  to  explain  and  illustrate 
the  teachings  of  the  Bible.  For  these  purposes  Bible 
Societies  as  auxiliaries  of  the  British  and  Foreign  Bible 
Society,  and  Tract  Societies  aided  by  the  Religious 
Tract  Society  of  London,  were  long  ago  established  in 
a  number  of  the  chief  business  centres  of  India,  as 
Madras,  Calcutta,  Bombay,  Bangalore,  Allahabad,  and 
Lahore.  Both  in  the  translation  of  the  Scriptures  and 
in  the  writing  of  Christian  tracts  and  books,  the  mis- 
sionaries of  tbe  American  Presbyterian  Church  have 
ever  taken  a  prominent  part,  and  either  as  honorary 
secretaries  of  the  North  India  Bible  and  Tract  Societies 
at  Allahabad,  or  as  members  of  the  executive  commit- 
tees of  these  Societies  and  of  those  at  Lahore,  they  have 
rendered  important  service  to  the  cause  of  Christ. 

It  may  not  be  generally  known  that  at  one  time  the 
Presbyterian    Board    of    Foreign    Missions  had    under 

243 


244  IN    THE    HEART    OF    INDIA. 

serious  consideration  the  plan  of  sending  that  great 
scholar,  afterwards  so  eminent  as  a  teacher  in  Princeton 
Theological  Seminary,  Joseph  Addison  Alexander,  to 
India,  to  he  stationed  at  Calcutta,  the  main  object  being 
the  promotion  of  the  cause  of  Christianity  in  India 
through  the  much-needed  preparation  of  Christian 
literature  suited  to  this  country. 

But  however  man's  plans  may  fail,  God's  plans  are 
carried  into  effect.  The  work  of  pre2:>aring  Christian 
schoolbooks  and  general  Christian  literature  for  India, 
and  of  disseminating  the  same  throughout  the  length 
and  breadth  of  the  land,  was  greatly  promoted  b}^  a 
devoted  man  of  God  whose  missionary  life,  extending 
through  a  period  of  sixty  years,  recently  came  to  a  close. 
This  was  John  Murdoch,  LL.  D.,  whose  writings  and 
publications,  even  after  he  had  passed  the  age  of  three- 
score and  ten  years,  were  multiplied  to  a  prodigious 
extent.  His  biography  soon  to  appear  will  reveal  a 
life  seldom  if  ever  equaled  for  singleness  of  devotion  to 
the  cause  of  Christian  missions.  In  passing,  it  may 
also  be  mentioned  that  to  a  like-minded  brother  of  Dr. 
Murdoch,  whose  home  was  in  far-away  Australia,  India 
owes  a  great  debt,  for  at  different  times  during  John 
Murdoch's  missionary  career,  there  Avere  sent  to  him  by 
this  brother  to  aid  in  the  evangelization  of  India 
various  sums  of  money,  which  in  the  aggregate 
amounted  to  no  less  than  two  hundred  thousand 
dollars. 

Interested  as  we  had  ever  been  in  the  circulation  of 
Christian  literature,  the  opportunity  for  efforts  in  this 
direction,  which  our  new  field  afforded,  verv  soon  ap- 
peared to  us  to  be  exceptionably  favorable.  This  was 
because  there  were  so  many  persons,  mostly  men,  in 
the  cit}^  of   Jhansi,   who  could  read  both  Hindi  and 


IN    THE    HKAllT    OF    INDIA.  '245 

Urdu,  and  also  because  so  niauv  of  these  understood 
tlie  English  language.  We  therefore  speedily  set  about 
to  improve  our  opportunity  to  the  utmost.  In  the 
early  days  of  missionary  enterprise  in  India,  the  Scrip- 
tures and  religious  books,  not  to  say  tracts,  Avere  freely 
given  away,  as  they  could  rarely  be  sold,  but  that 
condition  of  things  long  ago  ceased  to  exist.  Kven  the 
smallest  tracts  are  now  sold,  though  the  price  of  a 
single  tract  may  not  exceed  one-sixth  of  a  cent,  the 
only  exception  to  the  rule  as  regards  the  selling  of 
tracts  being  the  gratuitous  distribution  of  leaflets.  It 
is  considered  far  better  to  sell  at  nominal  prices  a  lim- 
ited number  of  books  and  tracts  than  to  distribute 
gratuitously  a  larger  number,  because  the  person  who 
pays  a  price  for  a  book  will  be  more  likely  to  prize  it 
and  preserve  it  carefully. 

It  was  not  enough  that  we  should  have  in  some  cen- 
tral locality  a  l)ook  depot  Avhere  the  Bible  and  other 
books  in  the  different  languages  of  Central  India  should 
be  kept  for  sale.  Our  reading  room  in  the  city,  open 
every  day  except  Sunday,  would  answer  for  that  pur- 
pose. A  book  haAvker,  who  would  go  about  among  the 
people  day  by  day  and  offer  to  them  the  books  which 
we  had  for  sale,  was  a  necessity.  A  colporteur,  there- 
fore, was  as  soon  as  possible  placed  upon  our  staff  of 
workers,  and  whenever  through  any  cause  his  place 
fell  vacant,  we  sought  at  once  to  fill  it,  for  we  greath' 
deprecated  any  interruption  in  this  work. 

The  bookseller's  field  in  Jhansi  is  not  only  the  large 
native  city,  but  it  includes  various  centres  of  population 
outside  the  city  wall  Avithin  a  radius  of  three  miles ; 
and  the  best  opportunity  of  all  has,  through  the  cour- 
tesy of  the  railAA^ay  officials,  been  found  at  the  large 
railAA'ay   station   situated    in    the    European    (juarter. 


246  IN    THE    HEART    OF    INDIA. 

Crowds  of  people  have  been  met  in  the  railway  car- 
riages as  the  trains  halted  for  a  longer  or  shorter  time, 
and  also  inside  the  station,  the  spacious  waiting  room 
for  native  passengers  being  usually  full.  Here  on  a 
cloth  spread  upon  the  floor  the  Bibles,  New  Testaments, 
and  separate  Gospels,  together  with  a  great  variety  of 
books  and  tracts  in  Hindi,  Urdu,  and  English,  suitable 
for  all  classes,  could  be  exhibited  and  examined  at 
leisure.  Tlie  people  of  India  buy  Christian  books  more 
freely  when  away  from  home  than  at  any  other  time, 
because  they  are  then  beyond  the  observation  of  their 
neighbors,  and  maii}^  a  Bible,  or  Gospel,  or  other  Chris- 
tian book  purchased  by  a  traveler  goes  where  the 
colporteur  may  never  be  sent. 

Our  sales  of  books  and  tracts  has  in  the  aggregate 
been  very  large.  The  Scriptures  entire  or  in  portions 
are  frequently  called  for.  And  so  day  by  day  through 
our  colportage  agency  the  precious  seed-corn  of  divine 
truth  has  been  cast  upon  the  waters  in  the  assurance 
given  us  in  God's  Word  that  it  shall  be  found  again,  it 
may  be,  after  many  days. 


XXVIII. 
OUR  HOUSE  AT  RANIPUR. 


The  reader  will  remember  the  description  in  Chapter 
XII  of  our  first  tour  in  the  Jhansi  district.  Eastward 
from  Jhansi  we  reach  the  limit  of  our  district  at  the 
fiftieth  milestone  on  the  left  bank  of  the  river  Dhasan. 
The  limit  of  our  first  tour  was  the  town  of  Man,  forty 
miles  from  Jhansi.  Ranipur  is  situated  thirty-five 
miles  east  of  Jhansi. 

We  have  made  tours  from  time  to  time  in  other 
directions,  but  the  road  between  Jhansi  and  Mau  has 
been  traveled  by  us  more  frequently  than  any  other 
road  in  our  district,  and  we  have  been  led  to  spend 
more  time  at  Ranipur  than  at  any  other  place  on  this 
road.  This  was  because  we  found  the  large  community 
of  weavers  in  this  town  remarkably  hospitable  and 
tractable.  For  this  reason,  we  at  length  decided  to  make 
Ranipur  our  headquarters  at  this  end  of  our  field, 
although  Mau,  only  five  miles  distant  from  Ranipur, 
on  account  of  its  situation  directly  on  the  railway,  its 
larger  population,  its  fine  buildings,  its  busy  bazaars, 
and  its  general  picturesqueness,  was  much  more  attract- 
ive. There  was,  moreover,  at  Mau,  a  very  comfortable 
rest-house,  provided  for  government  officials,  but  avail- 
able as  well  for  the  accommodation  of  other  people. 
In  fact,  as  regards  Ranipur,  there  was  nothing  to  attract 

247 


248  IN    THE    HEART    OF    INDIA. 

US,  except  the  greater  promise  of  fruitfulness  in  our 
work. 

When  staying  at  Ranipur,  in  the  cold  season,  we 
lived  under  canvas,  pitching  our  tents  under  two  very 
large  shade  trees  at  the  forks  of  the  road  just  outside 
the  town,  but  we  soon  began  to  feel  the  need  of  a  house, 
as  without  such  a  shelter  it  would  be  impossible  for  us 
to  carry  on  our  work  there  during  the  hot  and  rainy 
seasons,  which  comprise  two-thirds  of  the  year.  To  be 
able  during  eight  long  months  to  do  nothing  more  for 
our  out-station  than  to  make  flying  visits  to  it  from 
Mau,  either  early  in  the  morning  or  toward  the  close  of 
the  day,  seemed  to  be  only  an  aggravation  of  our  pre- 
dicament. 

As  soon  as  possible,  therefore,  we  began  to  collect 
money  for  the  building  of  a  house,  and  to  look  out  for 
a  suitable  site  on  which  to  erect  it.  When  at  length 
we  had  in  hand  a  thousand  rupees,  equal  to  three 
hundred  and  thirty-three  dollars,  for  this  purpose,  it 
suddenly  occurred  to  us  that  the  old  ruined  fort  on  the 
river  bank  could  be  utilized  by  us  to  great  advantage, 
if  we  could  secure  it  for  the  mission.  It  belonged  to 
the  government,  and  possibly  the  a\ithorities  might  be 
willing  to  sell  it  to  us.  Its  massive  walls  would  afford 
the  most  substantial  foundations  on  which  to  build  our 
house,  while  its  outworks  would  furnish  abundant 
materials  in  stone  and  bricks  with  which  to  rear  our 
proposed  dwelling.  The  more  we  considered  it,  the 
more  pleased  were  we  with  our  scheme  in  every  respect. 

In  instituting  negotiations  for  the  purchase  of  this 
property,  the  magistrate  of  the  district  was  the  official 
with  whom  Ave  had  to  deal,  and  fortunately  for  our 
cause,  he,  besides  being  our  nearest  neighbor  in  Jhansi, 
was  exceedingly  friendly  to  us,  especially  because  he 


IN    THE    HEART    OF    INDIA.  249 

and  my  husband  had  wrought  together  in  relieving  the 
sufferers  in  the  district  during  the  recent  famine.  In 
the  cold  season,  following  that  time  of  suffering,  it 
came  about  that  my  husband  was  the  magistrate's  guest 
for  a  day  or  two  while  both  were  touring  in  the  district, 
and  thus  a  good  oi)})ortunity  presented  itself  to  broach 
the  subject  which  for  some  time  past  had  been  of  great 
interest  to  us. 

On  being  made  acquainted  with  our  desire  to  buy 
the  fort  at  Ranipur  in  case  the  government  should  feel 
disposed  to  sell  it,  the  magistrate  at  once  said  that  as 
the  old  fort  Avas  of  no  use  to  the  government,  he  saw 
no  reason  why  it  should  not  be  sold  to  us,  and  accord- 
ingly he  set  a  daj^  when  he  would  meet  my 
husband  at  Ranipur  in  order  that  after  viewing  the 
pro^oerty,  they  might  come  to  an  understanding  as  to 
the  next  step  to  be  taken  towards  its  acquirement  by  us. 
At  the  appointed  time  the  meeting  took  place,  when 
the  ruins  were  duly  surveyed,  and  then  the  magistrate, 
after  asking  my  husband  how  much  he  was  prepared 
to  give  for  the  j^roperty,  without  waiting  for  an  answer, 
said,  in  good-natured  banter,  "  Will  you  give  a  thousand 
rupees  for  it?"  In  reply,  my  husband  said :  "  I  will 
tell  you  just  how  we  are  situated  as  to  funds  with  which 
to  provide  ourselves  with  a  house,  and  then  you  will 
be  able  to  judge  how  much  we  caji  afford  to  give 
for  this  propert^^  We  have  in  hand,  all  told,  about  a 
thousand  rupees  for  the  site  and  the  house."  Hearing 
this  he  said  :  "  Send  your  application  for  the  purchase 
of  the  property  to  me,  and  'in  making  an  oft'er  for  it 
mention  any  sum  you  please."  He  then  added,  ''I 
will  suggest  to  the  government  that  the  fort  be  made 
over  to  you  as  a  gift."  No  time  was  lost  in  placing  in 
the  magistrate's  hands  the  written  application,  with  the 


250  IX    THE    HEART    OF    INDIA. 

offer  for  the  property  of  fifty  rupees,  or  a  little  less  than 
seventeen  dollars,  and  in  due  course  my  husband  was 
informed  that  his  offer  had  been  accepted,  and  that  on 
receipt  of  the  price  named,  the  property  would  be 
secured  to  him. 

As  to  the  house  as  it  now  appears  in  the  picture,  in 
anticipation  of  being  able  soon  to  build  it,  my  husband 
had  purchased  at  auction  in  Jhansi,  timbers  of  various 
kinds,  besides  doors,  windows,  and  tiles,  all  of  which 
materials,  together  with  stone  slabs  for  the  roof,  were 
transported  to  Ranipur  at  the  beginning  of  the  next  cold 
season,  when  the  work  of  building  began.  It  was 
found  to  be  much  more  difficult  to  carry  on  building 
operations  in  an  out-of-the-way  village  than  in  Jhansi, 
for  it  was  necessary  to  bring  from  Jhansi  the  skilled 
workmen  who  were  needed,  and  to  burn  our  own  lime 
instead  of  buying  it  ready  to  our  hand.  When  the 
weather  grew  too  hot  for  my  husband  to  live  in  his 
tent  at  Ranipur,  he  was  obliged  to  take  refuge  in  the 
rest-house  at  Mau,  and  to  go  from  there  each  morning 
to  direct  the  work.  And  when  any  exigency  kept  him 
at  Ranipur  until  a  late  hour  of  the  forenoon,  as  was 
very  often  the  case,  then  it  was  necessary  for  him  to 
face  the  hot  wind  as  well  as  to  bear  the  burning  heat  of 
the  sun  during  an  hour's  drive  before  he  could  reach 
his  breakfast.  By  mid-summer  the  house  was  com- 
pleted, but  not  without  the  expenditure  of  more  money 
than  we  had  in  hand  for  .the  building  when  we  began, 
in  which  additional  expense,  however,  the  mission  was 
in  no  way  involved. 

The  house  consists  of  two  main  rooms  built  upon 
the  terrace  of  the  old  fort,  together  with  a  room  in  the 
upper  portion  of  the  middle  tower,  and  a  bath-room — 
an   indispensable   provision    in    an    Indian    dwelling. 


IN    THE    IIEAKT    OF    INDIA.  251 

Then  on  the  same  level  witli  the  house  a  broad  eovered 
veranda  extends  along  the  whole  inner  front,  its  floor 
forming  the  flat  roof  whieh  covers  two  rooms  whose 
walls  were  built  up  from  the  ground.  This  veranda 
serves  the  purpose  of  a  chapel  for  the  pul)lic  worship  of 
God.  One  of  the  outer  towers  has  been  converted  into 
a  store-room,  and  the  other  is  used  as  a  cook-house. 
Steps  lead  up  from  the  ground  to  the  terrace  on  both 
sides  of  the  house.  The  new  rooms  below  are  occupied 
by  the  native  minister  and  his  wife,  while  other  quar- 
ters on  the  ground  level  have  been  fitted  uj)  for  his 
helpers. 

Thus  has  the  old  Bundela  fort  been  entirely  revolu- 
tionized, and  from  it  as  a  centre  Gospel  light  will,  we 
trust,  long  continue  to  radiate.  It  was  built  about 
three  hundred  years  ago  by  Princess  Hiradeva,  a 
famous  Rani  of  Orcha,  who  founded  the  town  of 
Ranipur. 


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